Knock Knock, Its the Government

Humans have a tendency of disliking surveillance. People want to keep things hidden
whether it is a secret or some embarrassment. Others simply enjoy privacy. In George Orwells
1984, Winston Smith experiences the severe is lack of privacy. The entire society of 1984 is
constructed around the excessive surveillance and misuse of technology, similar to what is
currently happening today.
1984 contains many issues; the excess use of surveillance is one of them. Surveillance
has been taken a step further with the invention of the telescreen. This is what causes there to be
an excess of surveillance. This is best explained with the narrators explanation on how there
was of course no way of knowing whether you were being watched at any given moment. How
often, or on what system, the Thought Police plugged in on any individual wire was guesswork.
It was even conceivable that they watched everybody all the time. But at any rate they could plug
in your wire whenever they wanted to (Orwell 3). The over use of surveillance instills fear in
many because of the breach in privacy. Privacy is such an abnormality that Winston even
suspects he is under surveillance when in the forest. In general you could not assume that you
were much safer in the country than in London. There were no telescreens, of course, but there
was always the danger of concealed microphones by which your voice might be picked up and
recognized (Orwell 117). Surveillance was such a high priority that even the children were
trained to be spies. There was even an occasion where Parsons daughter got a man arrested for
wearing a funny kind of shoesshed never seen anyone wearing (Orwell 57). The children,
being a part of the governments surveillance system, feel obligated to report the smallest of
detail even if against their own parent.
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1984 touches on issues that are still a part of the world today, but the world we currently
live on has many surveillance issues that can be seen throughout the world. One newer form of
surveillance comes in the form of ARTS-4770 security system. This equipment is for public
security, it is necessary to have the surveillance device in all transportation vehicles to prevent
unexpected issues (Surveillance). The ARTS-4770 is equipped with an Intel core and i7
processor for faster process time, four IP cameras for high quality video, GPS 3G/4G
telecommunication, and both Wi-Fi and USB connectivity for data transfer (Surveillance).
This form of surveillance, along with other similar ones, is primarily for the well-being of others,
it is socially acceptable to have. Other forms of surveillance such as Closed Circuit Television
(CCTV) could have many purposes. A CCTV is any system that consists of cameras and
recording equipment. CCTV systems can operate wirelessly and can even be monitored over the
internet, a computer network, or even through cellphone (Global). With this technology, we
could be under private or federal surveillance and not know it.
A drastic level of surveillance, such the one demonstrated in 1984, is because of a misuse
of technology, particularly telescreens. They are described as receiving and transmitting
simultaneously. Any sound made, above the level of a very low whisper, would be picked up by
it, moreover, so long as [one] remained within the field of vision which the metal plaque
commanded, he could be seen as well as heard (Orwell 3). Advancement of technology for that
age in time could be put to better use; rather it is used as a means of surveillance for ordinary
people. Another way technology is misused would be the speak-write. This piece of technology
was used to obtain a specific goal: to hold people back and dumb them down, limiting human
growth by not allowing people to practice skills such as spelling, grammar, and writing. No skill
is required to talk and have everything be written down. Even though the technology holds
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people back, it has the potential to be used for the greater good of the people. Particularly by
allowing the blind, or handicapped to be able to use the device to speak and have it written.
Rather, the technology is used to change historical facts, to comply with the beliefs and
indecisive statements of the totalitarian government of the time.
Technology is not only misused in 1984, but also in current society. CCTV systems could
be helpful if used for security purpose, but in the wrong hands it could be extremely harmful.
There is nothing stopping an individual from placing cameras and microphones anywhere and
activating them wirelessly when desired. The various governments of the world are not the only
ones with the equipment to implement surveillance; declassified imagery and technology is now
trickling down to private citizens and organizations outside the government (Global).
Powerful surveillance technology should not be made more accessible to anyone who can afford
it. Methods of technology abuse can range from being as simple as electronic bullying to as
complicated as identity theft. The internet itself is of great use. It can be used to search for
information or other things, but is many times misused and abused. The simplest example would
be pornography. With all the knowledge one could get, it is many times used in this method
(Business and Technology). The law does not change to accommodate the advancement of
technology so that it wont be misused. Even the common cellphone could be used to track
suspects and other developments highlight the laws failure to keep pace with technological
advances (Digital Technology).
Technology has the potential for good, but in current society, it has fallen into the wrong
hands. Currently technology is being used for various treacheries whether it is for theft or for
pornography. No matter the date, whether 1984 or 2014, technology has been an issue which is
constantly growing and changing. Changing at the same rate as all the issues and surveillance
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that comes with it. Stagnation in our privacy has begun and will only continue as technology
grows.



















Works Cited
Business and Technology. Computer Weekly 10 Nov. 2009. Military and Intelligence
Database Collection. Web. 6 Apr. 2014.
Digital Technology Makes Surveillance Easier; Stronger Laws Needed, Report Finds. PR
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Newswire. 22 Feb. 2006. Military and Intelligence Database Collection. Web. 6 Apr.
2014.
Global Surveillance. Computer Sciences. Ed. Roger R. Flynn. New York: Macmillan
Reference USA, 2011. Science in Context. Web. 6 Apr. 2014.
Orwell, George. 1984. New York: New American Library, 1961. Print.
Surveillance System Improves Public Transportation Security. Production News Network. 26
Mar. 2014. Computer Database. Web. 6 April 2014.