Everything you do electronically can be tracked, saved, and manipulated, regardless of where you are. Widescale spying occurring today eerily mimics George Orwell’s 1984 in an imminent and frightening way, as average people are no longer as private as they used to be. In 1984, Winston is trapped within a totalitarian government that watches everything its residents do or say. These residents are spied on everywhere they go and are never immune to government overwatch. In the United States today, normal citizens are being watched by internet-connected devices, government big-data collection, and businesses looking for profit.
From TV’s to license plate readers, our world of internet-connected devices ensures that nobody is immune to spying …show more content…
This government spying through cell phones, email, and other data collection is reminiscent to the “Thought Police” in 1984, as it monitors the actions of common citizens. Many citizens do not even know that the government is spying on them, but rely on whistleblowers like Edward Snowden to leak information. Chris Soghoian, a technologist at the ACLU said, regarding collection of private location data from personal cellphones, “One of the key components of location data, and why it’s so sensitive, is that the laws of physics don’t let you keep it private” (Gellman and Soltani). Location data is just one example of government spying and big-data collection unknown to most people. While some may argue that this surveillance is necessary to keep the country safe and prevent terrorism, others insist it is a violation of civil rights. Many U.S. residents fear these extreme measures of data collection, as they use personal devices and may prove intrusive to daily life: “it's hard not to feel that we've lost too much control when secret laws and new technologies empower government... to secretly track, analyze, and record virtually every detail about our lives” (Oppenheim). The government of the United States has expanded their role in everyday life by spying on average citizens through their own personal devices. Not only can personal data be used by governments, it can also be used for
From TV’s to license plate readers, our world of internet-connected devices ensures that nobody is immune to spying …show more content…
This government spying through cell phones, email, and other data collection is reminiscent to the “Thought Police” in 1984, as it monitors the actions of common citizens. Many citizens do not even know that the government is spying on them, but rely on whistleblowers like Edward Snowden to leak information. Chris Soghoian, a technologist at the ACLU said, regarding collection of private location data from personal cellphones, “One of the key components of location data, and why it’s so sensitive, is that the laws of physics don’t let you keep it private” (Gellman and Soltani). Location data is just one example of government spying and big-data collection unknown to most people. While some may argue that this surveillance is necessary to keep the country safe and prevent terrorism, others insist it is a violation of civil rights. Many U.S. residents fear these extreme measures of data collection, as they use personal devices and may prove intrusive to daily life: “it's hard not to feel that we've lost too much control when secret laws and new technologies empower government... to secretly track, analyze, and record virtually every detail about our lives” (Oppenheim). The government of the United States has expanded their role in everyday life by spying on average citizens through their own personal devices. Not only can personal data be used by governments, it can also be used for