In the novel titled 1984, George Orwell paints a picture of a world whose people are subjected to constant surveillance by the authorities in government. The persistent manipulation, control, and monitoring symbolize the phrase, “The big brother is watching you.” The slogan is repeated numerous times throughout the novel as a way of reminding the citizens that there action and behaviors are always under scrutiny and observation. When comparing the happenings in the book with our present day connected lives, it is easy to point out numerous similarities. In today’s technology-era, much of the loss of privacy emanates from perceived benefits offered by high-tech advances such as smartphones, social networks, and GPS. Citizens not only suffer from dystopia but also knowingly or unknowingly allow a breach of privacy to happen. For us not to end up like citizens in 1984 there is a need for the establishment of comprehensive privacy rules and computer tools that guard privacy. Also, organizations should be compelled to seek informed consent from clients before accessing or using their data.
Parallels between ideas of Surveillance in 1984 and our current Situation
Both in Orwell’s novel and today’s world, citizens surrender privacy due to fear of the government. For instance, Orwell narrates that, "You had to live—did live, from habit that became instinct—in the assumption that every sound you made was overheard, and, except in darkness, every moment scrutinized," (Orwell 3). Citizens follow the government rules because of fear of being spied and ensuing retribution. The fear is because citizens know that the state has systems for collecting information at any time. In the 21st century, the use of the term “Big brother,” is analogous to abuse of government power and authority, particularly when handling civil liberties and rights. Citizens have progressively given up their rights to privacy, and personal freedoms are letting governments carry out massive surveillance especially by the use of Geographical Positioning System. “As our lives become digitized, unchecked surveillance can corrode everyone’s rights and the rule of law,” (HRW). The driving factor for rescinding ones privacy for the sake of governments benefit is fear. No doubt, the government understands the basic fact that it is human nature to fear. Consequently, states have exploited and cultivated fear and compliance. Whether a regime establishes a welfare nation or warfare country, they rely on fear to advance submissions, affirmative cooperations, and compliance with official dictates. Arguably, without popular fear, governments may not last long since citizens may revolt or laissez-faire factions might arise. According to Higgs, “all governments rest on public opinion and public opinion itself rests on fear,” (Higgs).
The technological possibilities of data collection, storage, and surveillance of the present day parallel what Orwell imagined in his book. According to the narrator, Oceania’s surveillance systems operated out in the open; “As for sending a letter through the mails, it was out of the question. All letters were opened in transit,” (Orwell, 116). Such a scenario is reminiscent of what Edward Snowden, a former CIA operative, describes: “The N.S.A., specifically, targets the communications of everyone. It ingests them by default,” (Crouch). Governments have increasingly installed backup systems to store and analyze any digital footprint whenever they wish to propagate vested interests. Notwithstanding the range of governmental prying programs, the concept of digital privacy seems mostly remote and quaint.
Another similarity between 1984 and today’s world is the willingness of the citizens to relinquish their right to privacy in exchange for the perceived safety. According to Orwell, surveillance created anxiety and eliminated privacy, but no one tried to conquest the system because the government can spy citizens. The citizens were unaware of the government behavior of rewriting the past and presenting doctored data and information that suit its policies and needs. “The process of continuous alteration was applied …to books, periodicals, pamphlets, posters …photographs—to every kind of literature or documentation which might conceivably hold any …ideological significance," (Orwell 40). People got victimized for innocently sharing information. For instance, we are told that "By sharing a small act of thought crime he turned the two of them into accomplices," (Orwell 157). American Civil Liberties Organization (ACLU) has recently been on the forefront in fighting against government interference. According to ACLU, while a collection of private information is tantamount to an invasion of privacy, “the government goes an extra mile to convert, an otherwise harmless data, into a harmful content placed on watch lists with potentially harsh consequences.” Data mining of emails, social networks, search histories, and databases has been made easy by not only the presence of outdated privacy laws but also new technologies. ACLU argues that “As long as it is turned on, your mobile phone registers its position with cell towers …government officials can obtain detailed personal information …from your cell phone company,” (ACLU).
Rules and Restriction to be placed on Current Technologies to prevent a “Citizen in 1984” Scenario
One of the solutions is the establishment of technology to control our data. In such cases, citizens should have access to computer tools that guard their privacy so that companies do not mine personal information. An example of such an approach is the use of open source search engines and advertisement free social networking sites. Policymakers may argue that there are no laws to regulate such technological strategies. However, since legal systems are ill-equipped to respond to the digital transformation, it does not mean that technology should not provide hope in preserving privacy. Creation of technologies that shield people’s online information from government and companies will come a long way in promoting privacy.
The establishment of comprehensive privacy rules that protect the citizen is long overdue. Laws need revamping or upgrade to meet the current technological dynamics (ACLU). In the US, the federal government has the legal powers to establish privacy laws that could fundamentally transform the way companies and the government itself collects and utilizes personal data. “Establishment and support of privacy commissioners will help in not only protecting consumers but also spreading awareness on privacy issues,” (HRW). An example of privacy regulation is the European Union Data Protection Dictate that limits accessibility to electronic data of the EU member countries. The decree restricts access to individual information such as race, sexual orientation, creed, and medical records. Such information “cannot leave the EU unless it is going to a nation with laws offering privacy levels that the EU has deemed adequate,” (Abdelmounaam, Athman & Mohamed 49). Basing regulatory approaches on national privacy policy rather than reacting to situations will come significantly improve personal privacies.
Organizations should be compelled to ensure that they have quality server-based solutions to help preserve people’s records or customer’s databases. Firewalls and virtual private networks have been effective in protecting privacy and security on the corporate scale. Nevertheless, such solutions should be incorporated with client-based approaches to privacy and personal data protection such as trace deletion, hiding of identities, and protection of email addresses (IEEE 48). This will mean that companies should not freely use location tracking and browsing histories to target their clients or adversaries. Citizens should be able to rescind consent to the utilization of private data at any time and the companies to halt using their data straightaway. “In all cases, you should always be given information about the right to object to the use of your data the first time that the company or organization contacts you,” (European Union).
Conclusion
George Orwell book, 1984, paints a picture of a world whose people are subjected to constant surveillance by the authorities in government. In today’s technology-era, much of the loss of privacy emanates from perceived benefits offered by technological advances such as smartphones, social networks, and GPS. Citizens have progressively given up their rights to privacy and personal freedoms letting governments carry out massive surveillance projects. Data mining of emails, social networks, search histories, and databases has been made easy by not only the presence of outdated privacy laws but also new technologies. For us not to end up like citizens in 1984, there is a need for the establishment of comprehensive privacy rules, citizens should have access to computer tools that guard their privacy and organizations should be compelled to ensure that they have quality server-based solutions and seek informed consent from clients before accessing or using their data.
Works Cited
Abdelmounaam, Athman & Mohamed. Privacy on the Web: Facts, Challenges, and Solutions. 2018. 2018 .
ACLU. Location Tracking. 2018. .
Crouch, Ian. So are we living in 1984? 2013. 2018 .
European Union. Data protection and online privacy. 2018. 2018 .
Higgs, Robert. Fear: The Foundation of Every Government’s Power . 2005. 2018 .
HRW. Countries Should Protect Privacy in Digital Age. 2013. 2018 .
IEEE. Understanding privacy: Privacy on the Web: Facts, challenges, solutions. 2003. 2018 .
Orwell, George. 1984. New York: Penguin, 1949.
