State Surveillance: How Has It Changed Over The Years and What Effect Has It Had On You? 🔦
With a growing complex of surveillance, what effect does it have on society, always being watched?
George Orwell 1984
I've got this synopsis online of a great classic written by Geroge Orwell which encompasses the topic of surveillance and spying. I'm going to discuss a few similarities and differences from this individual book, and I didn't want anyone being caught unaware when I mention Orwell or 1984.
'Winston Smith is a low-ranking member of the ruling Party in London, in the nation of Oceania. Everywhere Winston goes, even his own home, the Party watches him through telescreens; everywhere he looks he sees the face of the Party’s seemingly omniscient leader, a figure known only as Big Brother. The Party controls everything in Oceania, even the people’s history and language. Currently, the Party is forcing the implementation of an invented language called Newspeak, which attempts to prevent political rebellion by eliminating all words related to it. Even thinking rebellious thoughts is illegal. Such thought crime is, in fact, the worst of all crimes.'
The Effects of Surveillance Now and in the Past
Surveillance as we know it now is not the surveillance that was alive during Orwell's 1984. The difference between then and now in my opinion has nothing to do with technology. Despite the fact it may be great technological differences the same principle and techniques are used. The most oppressive regimes have not used or required high-tech. The used the greatest resource they had. A human being. They made people spy on each other, instilling a universal fear of discussing anything with any one because they might betray you. This was seen during the wartime period of WW2 where in Germany or in any situating country around it, you had no clue who would cough you up to the authorities. Winston Smith home had a telescreen, but the greatest danger was to expose your private thoughts to your 'friends' or even, in the case of this neighbour, your children as no one is to be trusted except for yourself.
Surveillance and Repression in Action
Having an ultimate, all-knowing, superior government makes me extremely uneasy. The biggest threat to a democracy is the government itself. So if nothing can stop it, then we are no longer live in a democracy, merely a soft tyranny bordering on a dictatorship. Shouldn't the NSA in the US and GCHQ in the UK be made accountable for their recent exploits on evading our privacy?
I have not endured nor lived with any sort of restraint or suppression myself but I have experienced a little when I went to Kenya once. Many people warned me and were wary about saying some thing that was against or could insult the ruling superiors and had alerted me against getting into any political talks or scolding at the current political system.
I guess technology is not the greatest threat. Although it may be the greatest threat it is one of our greatest protector in some cases. If the state wanted to be suppressive, I guess they could use an underground tunnel of secret police but I don't know how efficient they would be. It may be more efficient than using some sort of AI or machine learning to be able to learn and reprimand any sort of content.
'Unethical and illegal behaviour' of Swedish Police
While I was researching this topic I found a distressing story and reach about surveillance. I don't know how true this is so it would be grateful if any Swedes would be able to validate this story with me.
The growing expenditure of surveillance in the U.S. and in Scandinavian countries is rather worrying to me after reading a few hours. It does not seem as if they are being used for counterterrorism efforts but more mass surveillance of everyone and everyday policing.
It seems like this has gotten blown out of proportion in Sweden, where every police precinct has its own intelligence unit where an individual's whereabouts, phone records, etc. are recorded in detail. It seems like it generated an unresolved scandal in 2013, as it uncovered that the police in Malmo kept children of the Romani minority on its unofficial list of possible suspects and people of interest to the Swedish authorities. On this supposed list contained the names of children as young as four which is highly distressing. The affected parties including Romani minorities were recompensed, and a few captains stepped down, but the unofficial records remain, and no one was ever been held accountable for this repression.
- Source of News Story: http://stream.aljazeera.com/story/201309242050-0023065
Nowadays we have this growing beast of bureaucracy that is merging into and forming this technocratic state with sweeping powers and control. As such, it is centralization responsible for carrying out the law, yet never accountable for its actions.
As we see the old world system crumbling before our eyes, the system is showing the severe signs of stress - one of the symptoms is the massive increase in State surveillance... it will only get worse as we approach the end of our current dying (monetary, political) system.
Let's see if any reforms happen in the future but at the moment it seems like we are on the course for mass repression
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To me it does not really matter i guess to those who are involved with crime it should matter @rogerblu