James Dutton, the attorney who took Georgia’s automated school zone speed cameras all the way to the state Supreme Court (twice), joins Zach and Elizabeth for a deep dive into how for-profit surveillance actually works on the ground.
James breaks down how out-of-state corporations like Vera Mobility structure these ticket programs, why the burden of proof gets flipped onto drivers, how school bus routes mysteriously changed after camera installation, and what’s really happening with the data these systems collect on your voter status, tax history, and more.
From there the conversation shifts to data centers, where James is currently serving as a Spalding County Commissioner, walking through the actual zoning fights, water usage negotiations, and tax revenue arguments happening behind the scenes as Georgia becomes a data center hotspot.
They close out with a wider conversation about AI, China, and whether the endpoint of all this is somewhere we actually want to go.
James is also a board member of Banish Big Brother and will be speaking at DragonCon this year (September 3rd-7th) on data centers, automated photo enforcement, and camera-based data collection.
Zach Varnell
Zach Varnell is a cybersecurity expert and advocate for privacy and individual liberty. He is a founding member of Banish Big Brother, a nonprofit dedicated to combating invasive surveillance. He also runs Asteros, a security firm that helps software teams and compliance-driven organizations understand and reduce their real-world risk. His insights have been featured in publications like Infosecurity Magazine, Threatpost, ZDNET, and the Washington Examiner.