George Orwell is a pillar of 20th century English literature but his vision of the future was only half right.
Orwell's essays and novels were intensely political and he deeply feared any government with the ability to spy on its own citizens. He correctly saw a future where the government would have the technological means to monitor all of the movements and communications of all residents. He also saw how easy it would be for government to make citizens compliant and accepting of their lack of power and control.
Where Orwell was wrong, however, was his prediction that free-thinking citizens would rebel against this intrusion into their privacy. Orwell didn't see two important details: citizens would love the technology so much that they would ignore the privacy violations and that the ability of the technology to see every aspect of our private lives would be almost invisible.
Today, our cell phones, the computers in our vehicles, the TV receivers in our living rooms, our computers at work, our tablets at home, the electricity and natural gas meters attached to our houses and even the cards in our wallets all keep tabs on what we're up to and they do it without our knowledge and, for the most part, our permission.
The privacy concerns of local residents over the City of Prince George planning to invest in licence-plate recognition technology to enforce parking bylaws downtown are well-meaning but about as ridiculous as standing in water up to your neck and complaining about the rain.
Similar technology is already in use at the Canada-U.S. border, as well as in every RCMP car in the city. As an officer drives in traffic, his silent electronic partner is constantly scanning licence plates and alerting the officer for expired insurance, out-of-date drivers licences and stolen vehicles.
There is a large segment of the population that wants government to spy on citizens more, not less. Saskatchewan followed the lead of Alberta this fall and wouldn't issue hunting and fishing licences to individuals behind on their spousal and/or child support. In Prince George, many people have argued that the municipal and provincial government should share data, so that if you had outstanding parking fines, you'd have to pay them when it was time to renew your vehicle insurance.
It's only a few short steps from that notion to the idea of a fully integrated citizen database shared by all levels of government. Imagine a world where your library fines, your parking charges and your speeding tickets were all attached to your income tax. It could also work in the other direction and anyone applying for a library card or getting a business permit would have to cough up unpaid penalties to other levels of government or individuals before being allowed to borrow books or open a business.
On one hand, it sounds great. Governments would be working together to bring in previously uncollected revenues from residents exploiting the system. On the other hand, it's the very picture of oppression, as government would be able to use its all-seeing eye to monitor and dictate the behavior of its citizens.
Governments also look outward, of course, spying on other governments, as well as inward on its own citizens, and they're not the only ones.
Major corporations also engage in corporate espionage and spying all the time because there's too much at stake for them them not to.
Like governments, these companies are also peering into our personal lives all the time. The day will be soon upon us when our TV, based upon the channels and shows we regularly watch, will show us commercials targeted to our personal interest and spending patterns. It's already happening online, based on our browsing habits, and in retail outlets through customer loyalty cards.
For some, this sounds like paradise, where companies are providing us with the customized service and targeted information we want. For others, however, this is taking our personal information and using it against us to generate sales.
The technology that helps us connect with each other also gives government and business the keys to our homes and our private lives, but we're too busy Facebooking and retweeting each other to notice or care.
Privacy. It's so 20th century.
