Is Our Technology Taking Us Closer To The World Of Big Brother?
With the way our technology is progressing, the world of big brother is closer than we think it is. A few years ago, the CIA (Central Intelligence Agency) was exposed to the public. The Washington Post stated that the US government hacks phones, computer and TV’s of regular people. In some cases, there is a tool called Weeping Angel that makes homeowners believe their tv is turned off when in reality, a bug records any conversation and sends it a CIA server. In many ways, our society is similar to big brother in the book 1984.
There are many technologies in today’s society that are similar to that in 1984. In the book, Winston’s job is a records editor that rewrites history according to the party. He speaks into a speakwriter that records what he is saying and types it out for him, in today’s society we already have something like that. There are many forms technologies that have the same exact purpose. You speak and the computer writes it down for you. Another significant type of technology in the book is telescreens. The telescreens are used to instill fear into its citizens. In the book, it is used to spy on citizens listening to conversation and to see what they are doing. Winston even says that the microphones are so sensitive that it can hear your heartbeat. This is very similar to what WikiLeaks exposed in the Washington Post article mentioned earlier. It claims the government uses many forms of devices to spy on us. Webcams and phones are highly hacked to be used as a form of spyware by US officials. In an article posted on the LA times, Long Beach is adding 400 cameras onto the streets to increase the protection of their citizens. They claim that it will only be used and turned on when crime is reported in a specific area but it is easily known that it will eventually use to spy on its citizens sooner or later.
Our world is closer, if not already, to being big brother. The only way to stop big brother is to stop using technology completely. Although it stands impossible, it is the best way. Every year the US makes more and more advancements, becoming more better for spyware. If we stop using phones, the government will have no way to spy on us and to keep us ‘monitored’. Therefore, preventing the world of big brother.
