On X, Jeremy Corbyn has called out the UK government’s ‘mass rollout’ of facial recognition technology. This follows several moves by the UK government, in tandem with the US, incorporating tech and AI to maximise state surveillance of ordinary citizens.
Starmer’s Labour have repeatedly used the divisive guise of “illegal migrants” to win public consent for deeply authoritarian measures. The scale of these actions would make Orwell shiver.
I am very concerned by the government’s mass rollout of facial recognition technology.
This is a grave threat to privacy, and turns the presumption of innocence on its head.
We are hurtling toward a mass surveillance state. It must be opposed!
— Jeremy Corbyn (@jeremycorbyn) January 26, 2026
Oppression: billionaires and the state in tandem
In 2026, Western ‘democracies’ have grown increasingly authoritarian, revealing a working relationship between the super-rich and state infrastructure that was once obscured from public view. The push toward comprehensive surveillance states now appears to be accelerating, with new Orwellian style overreaches reported almost daily.
We wrote just one week ago about Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood’s ‘vision’ for ‘minority-report style policing’, stating:
The theory this rests on is true; people change their behavior when they’re under watch. Mahmood now appears to want to monitor us all the time. This Orwellian overreach of the state would seek to control how we act and strip away our right to privacy. The impact this would also have on our court system, and the legal doctrine of ‘innocent until proven guilty’ is also deeply concerning. And even more worryingly, she isn’t afraid to hide it suggesting a confidence in being able to achieve it.
On the same day, our own Joe Glenton also wrote about the deeply concerning moves by Palantir in the US and the access being given to the billionaire-owned data company by the UK government:
Palantir is complicit in the Israeli genocide in Gaza. Disturbingly, the company also has a hand in the UK’s National Health Service (NHS), as the supplier of data systems. Oh, there’s also a high-stakes military contract, worth GBP 750 million, awarded to Palantir by Keir Starmer’s Labour government.
Palantir operates wherever there is pain and suppression, and does so purely for profit. All the while, it claims that it only builds the tools, but doesn’t make the rules. It’s pervasive presence in everything from genocide, to healthcare to violent immigration crackdowns, should disturb us all.
Signalling that this breach of privacy cuts across party lines, this X account unusually agreed with Corbyn, and said:
Slightly conflicted about agreeing with anything this man says, but on facial recognition he is correct.
We have the right to go about our business without the state collecting and storing this information. https://t.co/wQ4DWzCely—
MikeTV
While another X account stated:
It’s not often I agree with this man but he’s spot on here! I’m a law abiding citizen (so far) but I don’t want my every move watched by the Government. They are there to SERVE me not control me!
Class war: Billionaires and the State on the hunt
This latest intervention from Corbyn further reveals the scale of the fight ahead for ordinary citizens. By commodifying society, the super-rich now access nearly everyone’s private information. As a result, the state, seeing this unprecedented access which has been amplified by deregulation and regulatory lapses, now aims to integrate commercial data into government systems.
After decades of politicians serving the richest, they’re now turning on ordinary citizens, expanding state control over our lives.
After all, hypocrisy runs deep when the powerful and privileged gather. This has to be enough. The 99% must unite to defend futures already hanging by a thread.
Featured image via the Canary
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