The Not Yet is Now

Things I've Been Thinking About · Aug 11, 2026 · 4m

For years, we talked about the surveillance state as something that might eventually arrive. The problem is that somewhere along the way, “not yet” became “now.”

Our phones, cars, televisions, apps, financial transactions, locations, purchases, and everyday behavior are increasingly recorded, stored, analyzed, and shared — often without us understanding just how much information we’re producing or where it ultimately goes.

In this episode, I look at how surveillance became ordinary, how convenience helped normalize it, and why the most important question may no longer be whether a…