[Little] Brother
Technology is a wonderful thing most of the time, but it also has its dark side. In the wrong hands, it enhances and multiplies the capability to do harm, either by individuals or by the State.
In a "1984"ish sort of way, governments, big and small, in the U.S. have begun to eavesdrop on cell-phone conversations and text messages, as well as trace the whereabouts of its users. Even small-town police departments are purchasing the technology to do all this.
Of course, they claim that this allows them to fight crime more effectively, and there's no doubt that it can, but the chilling effect on everyone's right to communicate privately is tremendous, and there seems to be no stopping the State from intruding in the privacy of its citizens.
Isn't it ironic that the "world's leading democracy" acts increasingly like the totalitarian regimes that it constantly chastises for practices such as this one?
In a "1984"ish sort of way, governments, big and small, in the U.S. have begun to eavesdrop on cell-phone conversations and text messages, as well as trace the whereabouts of its users. Even small-town police departments are purchasing the technology to do all this.
Of course, they claim that this allows them to fight crime more effectively, and there's no doubt that it can, but the chilling effect on everyone's right to communicate privately is tremendous, and there seems to be no stopping the State from intruding in the privacy of its citizens.
Isn't it ironic that the "world's leading democracy" acts increasingly like the totalitarian regimes that it constantly chastises for practices such as this one?
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