Trump’s Surveillance Betrayal: Mirroring China’s System
Trump’s administration publicly criticizes China’s Social Credit System for its extensive data collection to monitor and control citizens. Meanwhile, it develops a comparable surveillance network through Palantir’s technology, consolidating personal data across U.S. agencies. This contrast highlights a U.S. government that praises liberty yet pursues similar data-centralization tactics. Trump’s vow to eliminate the “deep state” conceals the formation of a new, AI-powered monitoring system.
Deep State Deception and Anti-China Posturing
Trump campaigned on eradicating the deep state, a network of unelected officials wielding unchecked power in intelligence and bureaucracy. He promised to curb agencies like the FBI and Department of Defense, positioning himself as an outsider battling overreach. Yet, his administration redirects resources from traditional systems to tech firms like Palantir, indicating a reconfiguration of control. The U.S. frequently denounces China’s Social Credit System for tracking citizens’ behavior, labeling it a threat to liberty. This stance falters as Trump’s policies replicate the practices he publicly opposes in China.
Palantir’s Ascendancy: Building a Surveillance Framework
Palantir, a data analytics firm, employs artificial intelligence to process vast datasets, enabling agencies to monitor individuals efficiently. Its Foundry platform operates within the Department of Homeland Security and Health and Human Services, linking data across federal entities, as reported by technology journalist Sheera Frenkel. Since Trump’s inauguration, Palantir has secured over $113 million in federal contracts, including a $795 million Pentagon deal, according to journalist Nick Mordowanec. It also engages with the IRS and Social Security Administration, Frenkel notes. This expansion establishes Palantir as the foundation of a surveillance system rivaling China’s centralized data network.
DOGE’s Role: Centralizing Data Control
Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency champions Palantir’s role, with ties to former Palantir employees and Peter Thiel-funded firms, Frenkel reports. DOGE’s mission to streamline government data aligns with Palantir’s capacity to unify information across agencies. This partnership prioritizes state control over transparency, echoing China’s data management tactics. By consolidating data under the pretext of efficiency, DOGE creates a system capable of monitoring citizens’ lives comprehensively. The U.S. thus adopts methods it publicly condemns in China, revealing its contradictory stance.
Database Parallels: Emulating China’s Model
Palantir’s database amasses vast personal information, unprecedented in its scope across federal agencies, mirroring China’s citizen profiles. It includes tax records, student loans, Social Security, bank accounts, medical records, and immigration status, as activist Jason Bassler states: “No previous database system has ever centralized this much personal info across various federal agencies.” Artificial intelligence enables real-time analysis, tracking individuals and their connections, similar to China’s social monitoring. This system risks targeting dissenters, akin to China’s suppression of nonconformity. The U.S.’s condemnation of China appears hypocritical when its database pursues comparable objectives.
Political Targeting: Authoritarian Echoes
The database’s ability to target political adversaries highlights its parallels with China’s system, which punishes dissent through surveillance. Far-right activist Nick Fuentes warns that authorities track “everybody that criticized Israel, everybody that interacts with somebody that’s criticizing Israel.” This capability fosters a de facto “enemies list” accessible across agencies, stifling free speech. China’s system similarly monitors and penalizes dissenters, a practice the U.S. labels authoritarian. By enabling such targeting, the U.S. undermines the freedoms it claims to defend.
MAGA’s Disillusionment: A Betrayed Base
Trump’s supporters, expecting reduced government intrusion, now confront a surveillance system rivaling China’s, sparking widespread anger. Social media influencer The Patriot Voice declares, “People are so quick to suggest that I flipped on Trump…No, no, no…I didn’t flip on Trump. TRUMP FLIPPED ON US.” Fuentes calls it “the ultimate betrayal of his own people,” asking, “Seriously, if Palantir isn’t the deep state, then what is?” Thirteen former Palantir employees urged the company to halt its work with Trump, Frenkel reports. This backlash highlights the gap between Trump’s promises and his actions.
Liberty’s Dismissal: Prioritizing Control
The U.S. system prioritizes control over individual rights, mirroring China’s disregard for personal liberties in favor of state goals. Senior policy counsel Cody Venzke notes that “AI platforms like those built by Palantir are the key to pulling together the many data points the government has on each of us.” Bassler compares the plan to China’s Social Credit System, emphasizing their shared aim of centralized monitoring. Both systems collect data on all citizens, dismissing privacy concerns. The U.S.’s condemnation of China rings false when it replicates these practices.
Efficiency’s Hollow Defense
The White House defends the database as a way to “eliminate information silos and streamline data collection across agencies,” spokesperson Taylor Rogers claims. This justification echoes China’s claims of improving governance through data centralization. Yet, efficiency cannot conceal the adoption of authoritarian tactics the U.S. publicly opposes. Palantir insists it acts only as a data processor, not a controller. However, former Palantir engineer Linda Xia warns, “Combining all that data, even with the noblest of intentions, significantly increases the risk of misuse.”
Hypocrisy Laid Bare
Trump’s administration deceives Americans by condemning China’s surveillance while constructing a comparable system through Palantir’s technology. It falsely promised to dismantle the deep state, instead creating a surveillance apparatus that centralizes power and monitors citizens. Supporters, betrayed by this shift, face a system that contradicts their expectations of limited government. The U.S. replicates the authoritarian practices it criticizes in China, exposing a profound double standard. This contradiction reveals a government more concerned with control than with upholding its stated values.
