While George Orwell’s 1984 was set in the future, it’s not so far from where we are today. In the introduction to Ubiquitous Surveillance, it is stated that Londoners must expect to be seen by one camera per every 12 citizen of their English countryside. While there is much about the beautiful surroundings and English lilting accent that is appealing and picturesque, this fact is enough to make anyone take a second glance… perhaps on film.
These articles really get one thinking about the ideas behind Orwell’s 1984. It’s more than a little creepy that Big Brother can not only see us everywhere we go, but also peruse what we choose to search from our home computers. Whether we’ere in a park or a shopping mall, it’s likely that we are, in some manner, being kept track of…but it gets more creepy than that.
Think about the GPS tracking chips inside of your beloved smartphone which never leaves the palm of your hand. Forget about mom knowing when you snuck out of the house in high school- the government, your “big brother,” knows absolutely everything: where you are every single moment of every single day. Not only that, but they know what you’re searching, what you’re using, what you’re watching, what you’re wearing… They know what you had for breakfast, if you’re in English 303.

Basically, what I’m trying to say here is this: If you’re trying to plan some kind of heist, you should probably just keep it in your head. Assassination? Don’t mention it. Conspiracy? Don’t even think about texting your partner in crime. Cheating on your boyfriend whose mother is a computer genius? I wouldn’t text your lover.

Technology is great for keeping us informed….and also for informing others on us.