My walking partner is re-reading 1984 these days. Part of it is because of the changes we’ve undergone in society the last few years, and part of it is to see if her perceptions and perspective has changed since the last time she read the book. I tend to do that occasionally myself; there are some books I read way back in middle or high school, and I’m sure I’d have a somewhat different take on these books now.

A friend sent me this news article the other day; if the date was April 1, I’d say it was a joke. But given the proliferation of surveillance cameras these days, I don’t think it’s much of a joke, really. While part of the title of the piece ( “Big Brother Says ‘Stop Picking Your Nose Now, Robert’”) is amusing, the premise behind it is slightly alarming. Over the years, there’s been quite a few abuses associated with remote and surveillance cameras, and somehow, despite whatever good intentions there are behind these cameras, I think the use of cameras (and the use of children) takes us a wee step further towards 1984. Some would argue we’re there already in many ways, but I think we aren’t there completely yet. There’s still time to balance public safety against privacy issues, and make corrections where needed. Still, in this post-9/11 era, it’s a question we really need to ponder: are such cameras truly effective, or do they just lead to a new set of headaches? Do they truly prevent problems, or do they create new ones? This page from the ACLU outlines some of the concerns that have developed from the burgeoning use of cameras.

Reading this article made me think of two things: the children in 1984 who reported on their elders, and the graphic novel V For Vendetta (the movie was good, yes, but the book is so much better– and far more chilling, I think). The use of children in this new venture seems like a case of nurturing little “Big Brothers”– children who grow up in a world where such surveillance is the norm, rather than the exception. Once something becomes the norm, then it’s easier to move to the next stage, the next invasion of our liberties and privacy. We’re already used to queues at airports, now they’re developing virtual x-ray sensors that will outline our bodies and see through our clothes. Sure, now people are saying that they wouldn’t be comfortable with it. But what happens down the line when people simply accept it, and feel that they can’t change a thing? What happens then?