If you're tired of censorship and dystopian threats against civil liberties, subscribe to Reclaim The Net. Several German states are preparing to widen police powers by allowing personal data to be used in the training of surveillance technologies. North Rhine-Westphalia and Baden-Württemberg are introducing legislative changes that would let police feed identifiable information such as names and facial images into commercial AI systems. Both drafts permit this even when anonymization or pseudonymization is bypassed because the police consider it “impossible” or achievable only with “disproportionate effort.” Hamburg adopted similar rules earlier this year, and its example appears to have encouraged other regions to follow. These developments together mark a clear move toward normalizing the use of personal information as fuel for surveillance algorithms. The chain reaction began in Bavaria, where police in early 2024 tested Palantir’s surveillance software with real personal data. The experiment drew objections from the state’s data protection authority, but still served as a model for others. Hamburg used the same idea in January 2025 to amend its laws, granting permission to train “learning IT systems” on data from bystanders. Now Baden-Württemberg and North Rhine-Westphalia plan to adopt nearly identical language. In North Rhine-Westphalia, police would be allowed to upload clear identifiers such as names or faces into commercial systems like Palantir’s and to refine behavioral or facial recognition programs with real, unaltered data. Bettina Gayk, the state’s data protection officer, warned that “the proposed regulation addresses significant constitutional concerns.” She argued that using data from people listed as victims or complainants was excessive and added that “products from commercial providers are improved with the help of state-collected and stored data,” which she found unacceptable. The state government has embedded this expansion of surveillance powers into a broader revision of the Police Act, a change initially required by the Federal Constitutional Court. The court had previously ruled that long-term video monitoring under the existing law violated the Basic Law. Instead of narrowing these powers, the new draft introduces a clause allowing police to “develop, review, change or train IT products” with personal data. This wording effectively enables continued use of Palantir’s data analysis platform while avoiding the constitutional limits the court demanded. Across North Rhine-Westphalia, Baden-Württemberg, and Hamburg, the outcome will be similar: personal data can be used for training as soon as anonymization is judged to be disproportionately difficult, with the assessment left to police discretion. Gayk has urged that the use of non-anonymized data be prohibited entirely, warning that the exceptions are written so broadly that “they will ultimately not lead to any restrictions in practice.” Baden-Württemberg’s green-black coalition plans to pass its bill this week. It would give police permission to train and test software such as Palantir’s, which the state already purchased for more than €25M ($29M), using personal data from citizens, regardless of whether they are suspects. The proposed law states that the data may be processed “for the development, testing, and validation” of information technology systems. Tobias Keber, the state’s data protection officer, has called for explicit checks to ensure that anonymization is truly impossible before allowing identifiable data to be used. He also argued that his office should be involved early in the process to prevent abuse. Hamburg has already implemented a system allowing its police to train AI models on real names and facial data and to share that information with third parties when anonymization is considered too burdensome. The change aligns with the city’s broader effort to automate video monitoring. A pilot project launched in 2023 used AI to scan public cameras for “atypical behavior” such as fights or clusters of onlookers. Interior Senator Andy Grote stated, “Experience to date shows that thanks to the software, we become aware of dangerous situations very early on and can intervene immediately.” Despite that claim, the test generated only one criminal case. Hamburg’s data protection authority accepts that video surveillance using real data could be legally possible but warns that the law’s vague language, especially around “disproportionate effort,” leaves far too much room for interpretation. It also cautions against growing dependence on commercial surveillance providers. Across these states, Germany’s long-standing privacy principles are being quietly rewritten. The police are gaining the ability to feed real personal data into private AI systems, turning ordinary citizens into raw material for technology development. If you're tired of censorship and dystopian threats against civil liberties, subscribe to Reclaim The Net. The post German States Expand Police Powers to Train AI Surveillance Systems with Personal Data appeared first on Reclaim The Net.

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Another member of the Kennedy political dynasty is launching a high-profile campaign, and this time it's for Congress. Jack Schlossberg, former President John F. Kennedy's 32-year-old grandson, announced his congressional campaign to replace retiring Democratic Rep. Jerry Nadler of New York. Schlossberg originally rose to political stardom on TikTok, where, like many of his relatives, he would criticize and mock Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'With control of Congress, there's nothing we can't do.'Schlossberg will be entering a crowded primary race alongside state Assemblyman Micah Lasher and nonprofit CEO Liam Elkind. These candidates are looking to represent New York's 12th congressional district, which is one of the most Democratic districts in the state and boasts one of the highest incomes per capita in the country. On his campaign website, the Kennedy heir said he launched his congressional bid because "the best part of the greatest city on earth needs to be heard loud and clear in Washington and deserves a representative who won't back down."RELATED: 'Pathetic' Senate Democrats cave, advancing key shutdown vote and prompting intraparty uproar: 'It’s a surrender' Disney/Randy Holmes In his campaign announcement, Schlossberg also emphasized his ambition for Democrats to take back control of the House. Republicans currently hold a historically narrow advantage in the House, partially due to two Democratic vacancies following the deaths of Reps. Sylvester Turner of Texas and Raul Grijalva of Arizona. "We deserve better, and we can do better," Schlossberg said. "And it starts with the Democratic Party winning back control of the House of Representatives." Notably, Schlossberg is running to replace a Democrat in a deep-blue district, meaning the partisan split in the House will be unaffected by his candidacy. RELATED: JFK's grandson trashes RFK Jr. and says he's 'excited' about voting for Biden Bonnie Cash/UPI/Bloomberg via Getty Images"With control of Congress, there's nothing we can't do," Schlossberg said. "Without it, we're helpless to a third term.""My name is Jack Schlossberg, and I'm running for Congress to represent my home: New York's 12th congressional district, where I was born and raised."Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

Stevie Nicks has decided to “weigh in” on abortion. In a recent interview with the Center for Reproductive Rights, she described how an unwanted pregnancy — conceived during her years of promiscuity — led to an abortion she now defends as necessary for her career.You might remember Stevie Nicks. She’s the former Fleetwood Mac singer who chose to end her child’s life to preserve fame and fortune. A few years later, the dysfunctional group fell apart anyway, torn by jealousy and resentment. Nicks sacrificed her child for an illusion of success — and lost it all.The idols of the 1960s — unrestrained desire, sexual libertinism, and the worship of self — have produced nothing but loneliness, guilt, and moral ruin.“I got pregnant, how could this be? I have an IUD,” Nicks recalled. “Fleetwood Mac is big, and it would have destroyed the band.” She remembered thinking, “Everybody kept asking, ‘Why won’t someone do something?’ I thought, I have a platform, I tell a good story, maybe I should do something.”She told a story, all right — a horror story. In her own words, she chose abortion not because her life was in danger but because she feared an awkward confrontation with her ex-lover and bandmate Lindsey Buckingham. “Having a child with Don Henley,” she said, “would not have gone over well in Fleetwood Mac, with Lindsey and me. ... It would have been a nightmare for me to go through.”So a child died to spare a rock star an emotionally uncomfortable conversation.The moral wreckage of ‘free love’Nicks’ confession is more than a personal tragedy; it’s a parable of an era. The generation that preached “free love” is now paying the bill. The idols of the 1960s — unrestrained desire, sexual libertinism, and the worship of self — have produced nothing but loneliness, guilt, and moral ruin.The abortion Nicks defends didn’t liberate her. It enslaved her to a lie — that personal freedom justifies killing the innocent. The band she protected disintegrated. Her fame faded. And the moral emptiness she embraced has followed her into old age.The irony is that this rebellion against “patriarchal control” delivered precisely what the so-called patriarchy wanted: women stripped of prudence and virtue, persuaded to destroy what men once had to protect. The revolutionaries of “free love” preached empowerment while handing men a permission slip for irresponsibility. Men couldn’t believe their luck. A real-life trolley problemPhilosophers use the “trolley problem” hypothetical to explore moral choices — sacrificing one life to save others from a runaway trolley. Nicks faced her own real-life version. One track held her child’s life; the other, her fame and comfort. She threw the switch. An innocent child died. Her fame soon followed.The members of Fleetwood Mac later turned on one another, proof that the god she served — success — wasn’t worth the price.RELATED: Christians are refusing to compromise — and it's terrifying all the right people Photo by Bildagentur-online/Universal Images Group via Getty ImagesA reckoning awaitsJordan Peterson recently refused to entertain a student’s hypothetical about lying to save Jews in World War II, saying he’d never live in a way that forced such a choice. Virtue prevents moral traps before they arise. Stevie Nicks created her own trap through promiscuity and “solved” it by ending a human life.But Nicks’ reckoning doesn’t end with the interview. Her child’s soul, like all souls, lives on. One day she will face that child — and the creator who gave that child life. When asked why she ended it, her only honest answer will be: for fame, for money, and to avoid a hard conversation.That conversation will be harder still when she faces God Himself. For her sake — and for those tempted to follow her path — one hopes she repents and seeks the forgiveness found only in Christ, while there is still time.

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