High energy hand held lasers

Our Take

The channel Digital ID, Mass Surveillance and Digital Currency has built a niche digging into tools and policies that quietly expand the surveillance state, and this video on high-energy handheld lasers fits that pattern. We don't have independent verification of every claim made in the video, so we're not going to restate specifics here — but the broader point lands: new tech capabilities tend to show up in the field long before the public, press, or lawmakers understand what they do or how they're being used.

That's the same story we've been telling about ALPR networks like Flock Safety. A camera system marketed as a narrow tool for 'finding stolen cars' quietly becomes a nationwide tracking grid, shared across agencies with little transparency and almost no meaningful consent from the communities it watches. Whether it's a laser device or a license plate reader, the pattern is identical: capability expands quietly, oversight lags, and residents are left to discover the scope after the fact.

Credit to the creator for keeping an eye on tech most outlets ignore. If you want to see what's already been deployed in your own neighborhood, check our camera map, and if you're ready to push back on unchecked surveillance locally, our take-action resources are a good place to start.