“But even that is not entirely what we’re here for, cuz ‘informant’ doesn’t do the role justice. Informant adds academic sheen to ‘snitch.’ What we’re talking about is something far more despicable than informing, that has nothing to do with exposing violent crimes or any kind of criminal intent.”
Love it. You are absolutely correct that “informant” white-washes the morally-bankcrupt career-making collaboration between FBI agents looking for some wins, a politicized FBI looking for “thwarted terrorist attacks” which were sold to the defendants whole cloth by the FBI so-called “informant”, and this “informant”s incentives (be it (potentially off the books) pay, exchange of debts/legal second chances with the agent in question, etc.)
So I do have a suggestion when “snitch” won’t do: we might call them what they are : collaborators.
Well fucking said! I appreciate your content. Marshall project has this article about the different kinds of surveillance being used on citizens you might like, if you don't already know:
Loki, appreciate the link—Marshall Project does good work, but even their reporting doesn’t quite capture the full picture. What’s already happening goes beyond IMSI catchers and facial recognition—we’re in the era of AI-driven predictive policing, behavioral modeling, and passive smartphone surveillance that operates even with location services off.
Your comment made us realize it’s time for a follow-up to The Protest Playbook and this FBI piece—a deeper dive into the evolving surveillance landscape and how resistance movements must adapt. Appreciate the push.
Also, I just posted this about it:
“But even that is not entirely what we’re here for, cuz ‘informant’ doesn’t do the role justice. Informant adds academic sheen to ‘snitch.’ What we’re talking about is something far more despicable than informing, that has nothing to do with exposing violent crimes or any kind of criminal intent.”
https://lokiexcelsiorsmith.substack.com/p/snitch-jackets-come-in-all-sizes?r=fd4u4
Love it. You are absolutely correct that “informant” white-washes the morally-bankcrupt career-making collaboration between FBI agents looking for some wins, a politicized FBI looking for “thwarted terrorist attacks” which were sold to the defendants whole cloth by the FBI so-called “informant”, and this “informant”s incentives (be it (potentially off the books) pay, exchange of debts/legal second chances with the agent in question, etc.)
So I do have a suggestion when “snitch” won’t do: we might call them what they are : collaborators.
Well fucking said! I appreciate your content. Marshall project has this article about the different kinds of surveillance being used on citizens you might like, if you don't already know:
https://www.themarshallproject.org/2024/11/12/protest-surveillance-technologies
Loki, see here: https://theradicalfederalist.substack.com/p/surviving-a-politicized-fbi-outmaneuvering for the promised expansion.
—VH
Loki, appreciate the link—Marshall Project does good work, but even their reporting doesn’t quite capture the full picture. What’s already happening goes beyond IMSI catchers and facial recognition—we’re in the era of AI-driven predictive policing, behavioral modeling, and passive smartphone surveillance that operates even with location services off.
Your comment made us realize it’s time for a follow-up to The Protest Playbook and this FBI piece—a deeper dive into the evolving surveillance landscape and how resistance movements must adapt. Appreciate the push.
—VH