These signals help surface intent before it becomes action.
Why Watch Signals Matter
Authoritarian systems rarely appear overnight. They emerge through patterns:
- Laws are suggested before they’re passed.
- Institutions are criticized before they’re dismantled.
- Ideas are floated in public to test public tolerance.
Watch Signals allow us to track this soft groundwork for erosion, by identifying the preconditions for:
- Undermining civil service independence
- Concentrating executive power
- Discrediting elections or the press
- Expanding surveillance or limiting rights
What These Are Not
- They are not partisan hot takes
- They are not speculative rumors
- They are not editorial opinions
Watch Signals are grounded in observed reality, linked to named sources, and filtered through historical precedent. They're designed to inform, not alarm — and to support responsible civic awareness.