Government surveillance and corporate data collection have created an unprecedented infrastructure of monitoring that most people do not fully understand. From NSA mass surveillance programs to tech company data harvesting, the erosion of privacy is a bipartisan project driven by national security budgets and advertising profits.
Gen Us covers surveillance and privacy because the combination of government surveillance powers and corporate data practices creates a system where virtually every digital action is tracked, stored, and potentially used — and the public has little meaningful ability to opt out.
We trace the funding behind surveillance technology companies, document the revolving door between intelligence agencies and Silicon Valley, and analyze how media coverage normalizes surveillance while marginalizing privacy advocates.
The reporting trail
New evidence joins the permanent record here, so each investigation remains connected to the larger system.
The Trump administration is asking the Supreme Court to allow White House ballroom construction to continue during appeals, while the National Trust for Historic Preservation asks the justices to pause the work. A divided D.C. Circuit ruling is scheduled to halt aboveground construction, including East Wing renovations, on August 21, 2026.
The Associated Press reported that Josh Kushner and Bob Iger agreed to acquire the Los Angeles Lakers for $12.5 billion, a record-breaking price in the team’s second sale in a year. The supplied records establish Kushner’s family connection to Donald Trump and his disclosed investment authority in a 2021 Oscar Health filing, but do not establish Lakers financing or White House involvement.
The Energy Information Administration forecasts average U.S. retail gasoline prices of $3.90 per gallon in 2026, based on its June 9 outlook. EIA’s July review documents second-quarter volatility, inventory declines, stronger U.S. exports, and higher refinery-margin indicators during disruptions to oil flows through the Strait of Hormuz.
A February 27, 2026 SEC-filed guarantee names Lawrence J. Ellison and his revocable trust as guarantors of $45.72 billion in merger consideration for Warner Bros. Discovery. A June 12 Justice Department statement said its investigation had closed and that the proposed transaction was not likely to harm competition or consumers in three specified areas, while the filings describe a possible future common parent for CBS News and CNN if the merger closes.
WIRED reported that the Department of Homeland Security entered a five-year blanket purchase agreement with Palantir for software and services, with a potential ceiling of up to $1 billion. The supplied evidence does not establish that DHS spent the full ceiling or that the agreement formed part of a broader sole-source network involving MITRE and IBM.
An internal audit of BBC News headlines reveals a systemic double standard in how the broadcaster attributes military violence to Western allies versus geopolitical adversaries. By utilizing passive voice and doubt-casting language, the BBC effectively sanitizes the impact of regional strikes while maintaining a thin veneer of impartiality.
Analysis of Sky News reporting reveals a 78% reliance on passive voice to omit the responsible party in Lebanese casualty reports. While adversaries are named in headlines, military actions by strategic allies are systematically stripped of their subjects.
On his first day back in office, President Trump wiped out sanctions against more than 30 Israeli settlers and groups linked to West Bank violence, essentially granting them a financial pass. Now, 19 Democratic lawmakers led by Senator Elizabeth Warren are calling out this policy of 'unbridled violence' as the number of Americans killed by settlers or security forces reaches nine. The group wants the Treasury and State Departments to bring back economic penalties and is pushing the Justice Department to start its own investigations. This happens as UN data shows 2025 was the most violent year ever recorded in the region, with 1,835 attacks documented on the ground.
DHS finalized a non-competitive deal with Palantir, locking taxpayers into a system that costs $400 million just to exit.