"Sign in with Google" as the surveillance default — and the alternative civics (opens in new tab)

"Sign in with Google" has become so naturalized that questioning it feels paranoid. This is itself worth questioning. When a surveillance arrangement becomes the unquestioned default, the surveillance no longer requires justification; the alternative requires justification. The civic dimension of the default matters. A democratic society depends on the existence of un-surveilled spaces — spaces where citizens can think, discuss, organize, dissent, change their minds, without the activity bein...