The global trend toward the normalization of mass surveillance continues while classic cyberpunk is revitalized, last week in cyberpunk.

Cyberpunk Reality

Theresa May is Building a Cyberpunk Dystopia in the UK

The UK’s Prime Minister, Theresa May, is calling for international agreements that regulate the internet in the wake of the London Bridge terror attack. The Independent sums up her stance well:

[May] warned there was “a new trend in the threat we face” and that while the three recent terror attacks in the UK were not linked by “common networks”, they were “bound together by the single evil ideology of Islamic extremism”.

She literally says that the legislation that she proposes wouldn’t have stopped the terrorist attacks that happened in the UK and is operating under the delusion that regulating the internet and banning secure cryptography will stop the spread of the memetic virus of Islamic extremism. This kind of legislation would only punish those who are not engaged in radical political movements (Islamic extremism, for example) or criminality, and would subject those individuals who are law abiding citizens to virtual vulnerability to foreign actors, criminals, and even their own government. Cory Doctorow has written a fantastic rebuttal to May’s arguments.

In addition to attempting to lock down the internet, May also wants to lock down the streets of the UK with armed military forces. This sounds an awful lot like the set up for a cyberpunk novel.

China Implements Mass Surveillance Law

China passed a cyber-security law in November that requires all ISPs in the country to surveil and maintain all customer communications; this law took effect on June 1st. This may have detrimental effects not just on the populace of China but on the businesses that conduct internet-based business in the country. China is just one of the most recent countries to implement this kind of law and it is unsurprising from a country that is now famous for the “Great Firewall of China.”

Creator of the Silk Road Loses Appeal

Ross Ulbricht, the creator of the infamous Silk Road (the world’s largest digital black market), was arrested in 2015 and sentenced to life in prison. On Wednesday, May 31st, 2017, Ulbricht lost his appeal, condemning him to live incarcerated for the rest of his life. This sets a precedent for crimes associated with building ‘illegal’ internet architecture.

Edward Snowden Warns About Implementing Japan’s Conspiracy Bill

Edward Snowden, who remains in exile in Moscow because of his leak of NSA surveillance secrets that have shaped the global discussion about mass surveillance, now warns that the Conspiracy Bill being considered by Japan’s legislative body DIET will implement sweeping surveillance powers (Psycho-Pass anyone?) with no meaningful protections for Japanese citizens and stifle freedom of expression. Joseph Cannataci, a UN-appointed expert, has also written an open-letter to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe voicing concerns about privacy and freedom of expression in the time leading up to the 2020 Olympics (Akira anyone?) scheduled to be held in Japan. We are witnessing the attempted normalization of mass surveillance across the globe. Hey Japan, you release that those cyberpunk stories were a warning right?

Julian Assange Invited to Host Sean Hannity’s Nationally-Syndicated Radio Show

After Julian Assange expressed interest in hosting his own weekly radio show or podcast, Assange was offered the opportunity to host Sean Hannity’s radio show for a day. There is no information on whether this is going to happen, but the conservative media has flipped their opinion of Assange in the wake of the Wikileaks release of Clinton’s DNC emails, which likely played a role in placing Trump in the office of President of the United States. Assange has expressed in the past that he will take advantage of any media outlet available to him to further his mission of truth, but taking on the offer from Hannity for an outlet like Fox News, which is not known for truth, will likely only hurt his credibility. Ecuador, which is currently granting Assange safe haven in London, has also stated that he should be wary of meddling in the politics of other nations.

Cyberpunk Television

Janelle Monáe cast in Philip K. Dick’s Electric Dreams

Janelle Monáe has been cast as a villain in the anthology series based on the works of proto-cyberpunk author Phillip K. Dick, Philip K. Dick’s Electric Dreams. The show, being developed by the UK’s Channel Four, is adapting the short story ‘Autofac‘ about rebellion against autonomous factories. This isn’t Monáe’s first time playing in the realm of cyberpunk futures, she has a number of concept albums that also deal with the idea of fighting against the machines.

Serial Experiments Lain comes to Crunchyroll

Serial Experiments Lain, the classic cyberpunk anime from acclaimed creator Yoshitoshi ABe, has been added to the catalog of online anime streaming service Crunchyroll. Here’s a direct link if you’d like to check it out.

Cyberpunk Movies

Biopunk isn’t Just a Sub-genre Anymore

Biopunk is an upcoming film from director Liam Garvo, and starring Kristian Nairn, Hodor from Game of Thrones. The film’s imagery from the 40-second trailer brings to mind visions of The Windup Girl. There is currently not a set release date, but we’ll keep you updated. The film’s synopsis is:

Biopunk follows the story of Resha, a street-smart Altered struggling to make a living whilst raising her younger brother Kio. When Kio is kidnapped by the militarized faction of the Altereds, she is forced to venture beyond the city’s limits in a race to rescue him before he can be turned into the ultimate weapon.

Dredd 4K Release on the Horizon

On June 6th, 2017 the amazing movie Dredd, based on the cyberpunk classic comic Judge Dredd, will be released for the first time in crisp 4K quality. Dredd, in contrast to Stallone’s Judge Dredd, captured the feel of  John Wagner’s characters and world. If you’d like to acquire a 4K copy of Dredd, you can pre-order one here.

Megazone 23 XI Reaches Funding Goal

Megazone 23 XI is the next proposed entry in the Megazone 23 franchise. Japanese studio AIC has been running a crowd-funding campaign to raise the money to produce a promotional video for a full fledged anime series. If you haven’t experienced this classic under-appreciated series with mecha designs from the famous Shinji Aramaki, then I highly recommend it! You can find the first part here, it stands alone just fine on its own. It is a little hard currently to find the complete collection at a reasonable price.

Cyberpunk Video Games

Exile Online, a Cyberpunk MMO

Exile Online is an MMO (massive multiplayer online) game currently in development from Dan Anderson and a team of dedicated programmers and artists. According to Anderson, the game is heavily inspired by Bladerunner, Akira, Judge Dredd, Deus Ex, Total Recall, Ghost in the Shell and Syndicate, but seeks to be its own unique property that will be shaped by player action in an open sandbox world. The game is currently seeking financial support through crowd-funding. If you are interested in supporting this project, check out their GoFundMe page.

Final Fantasy VII Remake Coming

Square Enix has announced that they plan to release a remake of Final Fantasy VII, the only cyberpunk entry in the Final Fantasy series, within the next three years. The cyberpunk elements and fantastic story have solidified the series as one of the most famous installments in the Final Fantasy franchise, but also in video game history. FFVII has inspired multiple spin-off games and animated films due to this status, so there is a guaranteed audience for this update to the classic game. They can count us amongst their numbers.

Did we miss anything? What do you think about the global trends of mass surveillance? What do you think of the continuing obsession with sequels and reboots to cyberpunk classics? Let us know on social media, or in the comments below.

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