A Game of Telephone

Art by Mahati Santhanakrishnan

Surveillance has been a staple of the American experiment since its inception. What started as intercepting the Plymouth Rock postal service has mutated into a behemoth of digital databases harvested from the public en masse. But the government is not the only one watching. The people have their own form of mass surveillance: Gossip. The connection between private whispers and the DHS hunting for immigrants may seem tenuous, but US history shows that the line between petty gossip and political warfare is frequently opaque. Both are attempts at control relying on the collection, dissemination, and analysis of intimate information. 

This control takes two forms: general deterrence and individual punishment. The iconic Nixon Watergate scandal illustrates this. Nixon covered up his own wiretapping by demanding confidentiality, and his “enemy list” silenced informants long before it became public. The few people who agreed to speak with journalists Woodward and Bernstein used only initials; some communicated through nods alone. Just as with abusive partners or exploitative employers, labeling information as “gossip” can suppress it entirely. 

Such effective deterrence requires severe individual punishment. Each example delivers the same warning — if I talk, the same will happen to me. Take Martha Mitchell, wife of Attorney General John Mitchell. After uncovering his role in the Watergate break-in, she was attacked, tranquilized, and held hostage to keep her from the press. She was subsequently smeared as a hysterical alcoholic to discredit her. Fear of the witch hunt made even those who did not agree with its ethos vital participants. 

Still, social gossip cannot fully equal government surveillance. Even Woodward and Bernstein’s exposé could not, alone, force Nixon out. The Supreme Court subpoena it triggered was the real push. Today, with six conservative justices and a 2024 ruling granting presidents absolute immunity, those checks have eroded. Watching the powerful evade justice breeds a “what’s the point?” pessimistic mindset. That mindset, and the complacency it encourages, is intentional.

The people’s “mass surveillance” may be unequal to the government’s, but it isn’t useless. Gossip is a weapon, and what truly matters is how we wield it. As journalism loses its influence on the judicial system, we must find new ways to deploy what we know. While DHS accesses social security numbers, the public can record interactions and map ICE operations block by block. Word of mouth, both in person and digitally, can share such information for purposes of both evasion and confrontation. If oppressors use surveillance against us, we can use gossip against them. It’s all a game of telephone that must be played with purpose.

Elisa Edgar

Art by Mahati Santhanakrishnan