First Amendment Audit 2045

 


The sleek, gleaming towers of New New York reflected the neon skyline as Jax Syntex adjusted his neural-linked visor, its augmented reality overlay painting the world in an endless stream of data. He stood on the edge of a public walkway, his hover-cam circling above, streaming live to his thousands of subscribers on the QuantumNet.

"Alright, guys," Jax said, his voice crisp over the stream, "I'm here outside the Aegis Cybernetics Headquarters, one of the most powerful AI firms in the world. And as always, we're gonna see if they respect our Right to Record in Public."

The building loomed ahead, a monolithic structure of transparent graphene, its walls pulsing with bioluminescent data streams. Pedestrians—humans, synths, and full-body androids alike—moved along the street, some glancing at Jax but most lost in their own augmented reality overlays.

Within moments, the inevitable happened. From a sleek hover-cruiser stationed nearby, two officers emerged—NYPD Model-9 Roboguards, their matte-black titanium-alloy exoskeletons reflecting the city’s artificial glow. Their faces, smooth featureless visors, pulsed blue as they engaged their scanners.

"Citizen," the lead unit said, its voice a perfect corporate blend of authority and artificial politeness, "you are engaging in a level-3 surveillance activity. State your credentials."

Jax smirked and turned his camera toward them. "I'm standing on a public walkway, recording a building that can be seen from public. That's not a crime." His voiceprint signature instantly uploaded to the stream’s metadata, ensuring his audience knew he was in control.

"Public activity is subject to oversight," the second Roboguard intoned, stepping closer. "You are interfering with corporate sovereignty. Deactivate your device or you will be cyber-processed."

Jax chuckled. "Cyber-processed? You mean like detained? Booked? Maybe even… reprogrammed?" He took a step back, his hover-cam circling them like an excited drone. "Sorry, Officer T-800 Wannabe, but the Cyber-Supreme Court already ruled in People v. OmniCorp that public photography is protected speech under the Neural Rights Act of 2038."

The lead Roboguard hesitated. Its visor flickered as it accessed legal precedence. Jax’s stream chat exploded with comments:

@FutureLawyer88: "HE'S RIGHT! CASE CLOSED, TIN CANS!"
@LibertyBot2099: "ROBOCOP CAN'T HANDLE THE TRUTH!"
@Dystopia4Ever: "Bet they're calling HQ for permission to breathe."

The Roboguards’ visors flashed orange—the color of "Processing Counter-Arguments." After a tense moment, the lead unit finally stepped back.

"Your activity is within legal parameters," it admitted. "Proceed... citizen."

Jax grinned. "Damn right."

As the Roboguards returned to their hover-cruiser, Jax turned back to his audience. "And there you have it, folks. Even in 2045, the First Amendment is still standing—barely. Stay vigilant, stay aware, and remember: Authority fears transparency."

His hover-cam zipped ahead, and Jax strode down the neon-lit boulevard, scanning for the next audit.

End Transmission.

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