TL;DR
A Wired feature by Andrew Couts argues that the balance of watching has shifted: civilians are increasingly recording and monitoring police activity, challenging the idea that privacy is uniformly lost. The piece frames this development as a reversal of traditional surveillance dynamics.
What happened
In a December 29, 2025 Wired article, senior editor Andrew Couts examines a shift in who conducts surveillance. The article’s central observation is that everyday people are using cameras, smartphones, and other tools to record law enforcement, in effect surveilling the police as often as institutions surveil civilians. The headline and opening lines challenge the common claim that privacy is dead, suggesting instead that scrutiny is becoming reciprocal. The story includes a direct nod to public figures—Kristi Noem is invoked in the article’s opening—but the publicly available excerpt does not detail specific incidents, technologies, or legal outcomes. The piece sits within Wired’s coverage topics of surveillance, government, police, security, and privacy, and appears alongside other reporting on civil liberties, law enforcement practices, and data gathering.
Why it matters
- If civilians routinely record police, accountability dynamics between the public and law enforcement can change.
- Widespread civilian recording raises legal and privacy questions for both officers and bystanders.
- The trend may influence public debate and policy on surveillance, transparency, and civil liberties.
- A reciprocal surveillance dynamic can shape trust, media narratives, and institutional behavior.
Key facts
- Article title: "The New Surveillance State Is You."
- Published by Wired on December 29, 2025.
- Author: Andrew Couts, identified as Senior Editor, Security & Investigations at Wired.
- Core claim in the excerpt: civilians are surveilling police as much as police surveil civilians.
- The article opens by challenging the assertion that privacy is dead and references Kristi Noem.
- The piece is filed under topics including surveillance, government, police, security, and privacy.
- The publicly available excerpt includes paywall prompts inviting readers to start a free trial.
What to watch next
- Legal and regulatory responses to civilian recording of law enforcement — not confirmed in the source.
- How police departments adjust policies on interacting with people who record them — not confirmed in the source.
- The specific technologies civilians use to document encounters (apps, platforms, devices) — not confirmed in the source.
Quick glossary
- Surveillance state: A condition in which government or other authorities routinely monitor people's activities, communications, and movements.
- Civilian surveillance: The act of private individuals recording or monitoring others, often using consumer devices like smartphones or cameras.
- Privacy: The right or expectation of individuals to control access to personal information and to limit unwanted observation.
- Accountability: Mechanisms and processes that ensure public officials and institutions answer for their actions and decisions.
Reader FAQ
What is the main argument of the Wired piece?
The excerpt presents the argument that civilians are increasingly surveilling police, complicating the conventional view that only authorities surveil the public.
Who wrote the article and when was it published?
Andrew Couts, Senior Editor, Security & Investigations at Wired; published December 29, 2025.
Does the article give concrete examples or data?
Not confirmed in the source.
Does the story recommend policy changes?
Not confirmed in the source.
ANDREW COUTS SECURITY DEC 29, 2025 6:00 AM The New Surveillance State Is You Privacy may be dead, but civilians are turning conventional wisdom on its head by surveilling the…
Sources
- The New Surveillance State Is You
- The Private Companies Quietly Building a Police State
- Larry Ellison once predicted 'citizens will be on their best …
- How AI-Powered Police Forces Watch Your Every Move
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