Editor's note: ...with a "tech right" network of
Silicon Valley elites—venture capitalists and executives like
Palantir's Alex Karp—who argue they can streamline government by applying "
startup efficiency." This alliance presents a danger: rather than empowering citizens, it risks handing over essential state power to unaccountable private contractors.
Palantir, in particular, has secured massive government contracts under Trump, deploying its data-mining software across law enforcement and immigration agencies, raising serious concerns about mass surveillance and the evisceration of individual power. If we want to avoid these technocratic systems taking over our lives,
the best way is to step off the grid—limit your digital footprint, use alternative tools, and opt out where you can:
________
Off the Grid
By
Todd Hayen | November 22, 2025
When people talk about "getting off the grid," the image that usually springs to my mind is the full-on pioneer fantasy: selling the house, buying 40 acres in the bush, installing solar panels, drilling a well, raising chickens, and growing enough potatoes to survive the next ice age.
I envy those people. Honestly, I do.