The land of the free

So we live in a free country. We have the right to vote and freedom of speech, innocent until proven guilty. But why then do I not feel free? Is it because my image is recorded on more than 700 CCTV cameras everyday? Is it because my car is logged into each and every petrol station/motorway junction/town center I go through? Is it because each and every purchase I make on a card is logged. Is it because certain governments require 37 pieces of information on me before they let me enter their country (I am still not sure how knowing what I had to eat on a plane, can determine if I am a terrorist....Oops I had the fish...doh). Is it because every access I make to a train station is logged and timed? The bus I get on........

Well if you have nothing to hide, then what are you worried about? Well nothing, I have nothing to hide. But who's to say who determines what is right or wrong? The potential for misuse of this data is incredible.

I mean..."Sorry that I was late boss, I missed my bus"....well actually I missed my bus because I was checking out a magazine in the shop....Oops the whole incident is logged on CCTV. No excuse!

I fear that we are becoming reliant on technology to reduce crime and stop terrorism. But machines can't determine the subtleties right or wrong, they have no concept of the situation. Speed cameras are great, yes they flash when you are above a certain speed, I have no problem with that, but the new cameras which fine you if you stopped in a yellow box...What are they about?? Yes it is against the highway code to stop in a yellow box, if you can not exit. But sometimes (as happened to me recently) you enter the box when your exit is clear, but then some idiot jumps infront of you and leaves you stranded in the box. Who gets the fine? You do...why? Because the camera only knows the rules, it can not determine what cause the situation to happen.

Now scale this up to the level of all the other hi-tech surveillance that is going on? If people aren't interrupting the data but machines, then there will be thousands of mistakes. You make a phone call, but you have a speech impediment and you want to say 'Your mumma' but is sounds like 'Osama'. Wow terrorist alert! It is scary to think that a simple slip of the tongue, or a simple careless accident could lead you into jail. I guess this helps governments with the easy targets, the real criminals will always get by. Just like credit card fraud....banks try harder and harder to stop this by making life harder and harder for legitimate users to access their own money. But the organised gangs can walk into a bank and withdraw huge amounts of cash with ease.

One day we will all be criminals if we are not careful, it could be for just buying the wrong brand of chocolate for example...Okay that maybe extreme. But imagine this, a corporation which sells chocolate, buys an insurance company. You have insurance with that company, but like another brand of chocolate. Could you forfeit your policy if you became ill, by being seen or logged eating the wrong brand?

You walk down the street, some litter falls out of your backpack, CCTV picks it up and issues you with a fine (but you are totally unaware). But you say "that is just silly!!", but it is an easier offence to collect a fine from, rather than someone who murdered someone. It has great potential to make money for the government. It is great for their statistics.

I guess these thoughts seem puerile and maybe are a tad silly. But being watched 24/7 isn't good for a person. Where is the trust, where is common sense? Has serious crime ceased or decreased thanks to these cameras? No it has gone up! But so has the number of law abiding people being fined for petty offences.

I am scared! I mean what about the web, could I get in trouble for this post? I mean my web access is logged, who is to say that one day the government might take offense at those who read indymedia? Or the Guardian newspaper or the fact that once you clicked on a porn link by mistake. Who is to say that this info could be used against you when applying for a job....hmm well you read a liberal newspaper...you must be a free thinker....we have no room for those here. You once viewed a porn site, you are a pervert, you view sites on environmental issues and thus are a hippy tree hugger. You like to watch the 'subversive' South Park......and so on.

Yes these might sound like trivial things.....But with all this surveillance, who determines what is wrong or right? Who watches the watchers? How did George Orwell get it SO right?

Peace

Neil