SOUND OFF: Big Brother, alive and well
-
Share on Facebook
-
Share on Bluesky
-
Share on X
- Copy Link
WHEN I WAS YOUNG — and I was once — I watched things like Ray Bradbury Theatre, the Twilight Zone and other shows of that ilk. I read George Orwell’s 1984. I thought some of the suppositions about Big Brother were kind of laughable.
But as we sit here today, we realize many of those suppositions have become real. Big Brother knows what you’re watching on TV and where your car has been, you are captured on video as you enter a store — whether it be to rob the place or just pick up a carton of milk. When you are on your wi-fi, your material is collected and perhaps certain keywords in your text wave a red flag somewhere and you’re on some watch list. Or you buy something from an ad on social media and suddenly you are targeted by promotions involving similar products. You don’t think Big Brother is a reality?
We have security systems that protect our homes and take high definition pictures of anyone who approaches our doors, and if our cameras extend into the street, we may capture images that help corner a criminal driving by. I think we are happy Big Brother is watching us when it keeps us from harm, but we are dangerously close to an invasion of privacy we don’t want. A fine balance, indeed. And one that will only get worse. With cyberhackers hard at work, there will be even more of our personal information exposed to the world that we will have difficulty protecting.
I’m Doug Collins.
