There have been a number of protests in the past few months pushing back against President Trump’s most recent policy changes, and we’re likely to see more. Today on the show, WIRED’s senior editor of security and investigations, Andrew Couts, talks us through the technology being used by law enforcement to surveil protests, how surveillance tech has evolved over the years, and what it means for anyone taking to the streets or posting to social media to voice their concerns. Plus, we share WIRED tips on how to stay safe, should you choose to protest.
You can follow Michael Calore on Bluesky at @snackfight, Lauren Goode on Bluesky at @laurengoode, and Andrew Couts on Bluesky at @couts. Write to us at [email protected].
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Transcript
Note: This is an automated transcript, which may contain errors.
[Archival audio]: No justice, no peace. Ho ho. Trump and Musk have got to go.
Michael Calore: People are taking to the streets to challenge President Donald Trump’s most recent policy changes, some of which have been created with the aid of Elon Musk and his so-called Department of Government Efficiency.
[Archival audio]: All 50 states saw these so-called hands-off rallies and so did a few cities in Europe.
Michael Calore: The first hands-off protests occurred earlier this month. The Tesla Takedown demonstrations have been rolling for weeks, and from the feel of it, we’re looking at a summer full of protests. So today we’re talking about the risks of being surveilled by law enforcement during protests. We’ll talk about how surveillance tech is being used, how it’s evolved over the years, and what it means for anyone taking to the streets or posting to social media to voice their concerns. This is WIRED’s Uncanny Valley, a show about the people power and influence of Silicon Valley. I’m Michael Calore, director of consumer tech and culture here at WIRED.
Lauren Goode: And I’m Lauren Goode. I’m a senior writer at WIRED.
Michael Calore: Katie Drummond is out today, but we’re joined by WIRED’s senior editor of security and investigations, Andrew Couts.
Andrew Couts: Thanks so much for having me.
Michael Calore: So let’s start by talking about what’s going on right now. There are the hands-off protests, there are the Tesla Takedown protests. Are these related at all?
Lauren Goode: The hands-off protests and the Tesla Takedown movement are not the same, but they are related. They’re both in some way resisting some of the policies that Donald Trump has quickly enacted without congressional approval in the short time since he took office in January. Tesla Takedown is pegged directly at Elon Musk who has this official but unofficial role in Trump’s administration as the leader of DOGE. We sometimes refer to him as the Buddy in Chief, and the idea there is to challenge Musk’s power as one of the world’s richest men by devaluing one of his most important businesses in the private sector, which is Tesla, whereas the hands-off protests are about all kinds of things. They’re protesting the firing of federal workers, the overreaching and potentially unconstitutional immigration policies, threats to women’s rights and LGBTQ rights, threats to social security, threats to health care. The list goes on. The idea is basically get your hands off my rights.
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