Loss of Privacy » 1984

Talking CCTV

Irene — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 00:30:20 +0000

This news piece praises the use of talking CCTV. Opposition to the cameras got a whole eight seconds on TV. At least he got his copy of 1984 on screen.

The cameras are going to be placed in Darlington as a means to combat littering. What would happen if you didn’t listen to the warnings?

Irony

Irene — Sat, 17 Apr 2010 00:29:25 +0000

There are now 32 CCTV cameras within a short distance of George Orwell’s flat in Barcelona.

Alex Nowrasteh on National ID and Immigration Policy

Irene — Thu, 08 Apr 2010 00:42:38 +0000

Competitive Enterprise Institute Policy Analyst Alex Nowrasteh debates the proposal to assign all U.S. workers a national I.D. card to combat illegal immigration.

If you don’t understand what the problem is with ID cards, I suggest you go and read 1984.

Amusing ourselves to death

Irene — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 15:00:31 +0000

Television will soon watch you

Irene — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 12:35:31 +0000

Wired reports that 3-D gesture-recognition technology will soon be in your living room. For now, privacy safeguards have been taken into consideration. However, it still reminds me of this:

“It was terribly dangerous to let your thoughts wander when you were in any public place or within range of a telescreen. The smallest thing could give you away. A nervous tic, an unconscious look of anxiety, a habit of muttering to yourself–anything that carried with it the suggestion of abnormality, of having something to hide. In any case, to wear an improper expression on your face…; was itself a punishable offense. There was even a word for it in Newspeak: facecrime…” – George Orwell, 1984, Book 1, Chapter 5