It's Tuesday again, readers! And it's finally spring. Take a moment to stop and smell the flowers (if they've bloomed). But make sure you take your allergy medicine first so you don't destroy your sinuses in the pursuit of enjoying nature's bounty. Speaking of bounty, albeit of a different sort, this week's newsletter revolves around surveillance. It's impossible to divorce the ease of our modern digital lives from the knowledge that we're being tracked wherever we go. Thousands of datapoints about you are collected every week, often without your permission or knowledge. (Think about how many doorbell cameras are in your neighborhood, for instance.) For many of us, this collection process seems harmless or like a minor inconvenience outweighed by the numerous conveniences presented by our ever-connected world. But for some of the people featured in this week's newsletter, surveillance — in both state and religious contexts — is much more sinister than the occasional uncanny Instagram ad about shoes or a backpack. As the state or the church watches them, who is watching out for them? |
