Gov. Kathy Hochul: NY Collecting Data from ‘Surveillance Efforts’ on Social Media

New York is reportedly collecting data from what Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) described as “surveillance efforts” on social media platforms, and is launching an effort to “counter some of the negativity.”

Speaking Monday, Hochul announced that the state is “very focused on the data we’re collecting from surveillance efforts [and] what’s being said on social media platforms,” admitting to government surveillance. What is more, Hochul said they have “launched an effort to be able to counter some of the negativity and reach out to people” when they see what they deem to be “hate speech being spoken about on online platforms.”

That remains a danger, as individuals tend to have very different definitions of what constitutes “hate speech” based on their political ideology. For instance, many conservatives have been accused of “hate speech” for simply voicing concerns about biological men using women’s changing rooms or rest rooms.

Nevertheless, Hochul said the state’s social media analysis unit “has ramped up its monitoring of sites to catch incitement to violence [and] direct threats to others.”

“And all of this is in response to our desire, our strong commitment, to ensure that not only do New Yorkers be [sic] safe, but they also feel safe,” she said, adding that “personal security is about everything for them.”

“As I said, no one walking down the street or in a subway can feel they have to hide any indications of what their religious beliefs are. We expect to see people celebrating their lives, walking out freely, and that is no longer the case because people are living in fear. They have a right to do whatever they want here in the state of New York,” she added.

Hochul’s purported concern comes as a great irony, as New York City particularly is ridden with crime as Democrat leaders continue to embrace soft-on-crime policies. A study by researchers at John Jay College of Criminal Justice found that “felony suspects released without bail thanks to New York’s bail reform law are more likely to be rearrested for more felonies, including violent crimes, than suspects who were given bail before the law went into effect,” as Breitbart News detailed.

Meanwhile, hate crimes against Jews, specifically, have surged over 200 percent in Democrat-controlled New York City, according to NYPD crime data.