A Hacker News post with 21 points and 18 comments asks whether expanded federal, state, local, and corporate surveillance chills online expression compared to 5 years ago. Commenters describe corporate environments where any middle manager with an OpenAI subscription can analyze public or private conversations, prompting increased self-censorship.

One user references Jon Ronson's *So You've Been Publicly Shamed* and the Brendan Eich case, noting fear of internet mobs. Another admits using a pseudonym because "cancel mobs scared me away long before the state did." A non-American in the U.S. reports caution regarding government surveillance, citing visa cancellations for pro-Palestine protesters.

The discussion references NSPM-7, which designates Antifa as a domestic terrorist organization, framing anti-fascism as a violent threat to American principles. Divergent views emerge: some feel freer under Trump and X, while others recall bans for questioning election results under previous leadership. The core tension remains whether algorithmic surveillance or political mob dynamics pose the greater threat to open discourse.