Hochul Confesses To Police State Social Media Monitoring

In an admission echoing George Orwell, New York Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul announced on Monday that her state is ramping up “surveillance efforts” on its citizens. Particularly, it is targeting social media over the way people are “treating each other.”

The excuse provided was an increase in “hate crimes” and “incidents of harassment.”

The state will increase cooperation with the FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force in this effort. Officials called it a push to “fight hate in all its forms,” noting there has been an increase in antisemitic and Islamophobic incidents.

While there have been many antisemitic attacks by radical leftists after Hamas terrorists invaded Israel, the same cannot be said for incidents targeting Muslims. But Hochul had to pander to all of her constituencies and include “Islamophobia.”

In her news conference, the governor said that online chatter presents a “clear and present danger” to New Yorkers.

Hochul claimed it pained her to see a state with “different cultures, different religions, different viewpoints” engage in cruelty. She said synagogues needed protection and added that mosques “could be susceptible to hate crimes or violence.”

To thwart this, the Democrat said the state’s surveillance arm is “collecting data.” 

The state is shelling out $75 million to combat “hate crimes.” Hochul said $50 million will enhance local law enforcement efforts and $25 million will be in security grants.

Hochul visited Cornell University on Oct. 30 after the school’s Jewish Center received a threat of a terrorist shooting. New York is home to 2.2 million Jews, a massive percentage of the estimated 16 million around the globe. 

Hamas terrorists attacked Israel on Oct. 7, killing over 1,400 citizens and taking more than 240 hostage.

Since that horrific invasion, New York City officials report a 331% increase in antisemitic hate incidents. This is cited by state leaders as a reason to monitor social media posts, though the liberal government may be surprised to find where most of the hate originates.

Antisemitism is a danger, but the answer is not massive state surveillance of social media. If a person posts a statement against a certain group or belief system, is that not free speech?

Unpopular perhaps, but still protected by the First Amendment. When it comes to protecting constitutional liberties, the ends do not necessarily justify the means, no matter how noble the goal.