Animation about How We're Becoming a Surveillance Society

So what's wrong with being watched, if it means a better sense of security? Having the FBI and police know everything about you. Having corporations and governments know everything about you. Having insurance companies know everything about you. Whether or not you think you've done something wrong, some entitiy out there will, or associate you with someone who has. Sooner or later, self-interest will take advantage of this information and use it against you. This is the theme of the German Academy Award Winning film, "The Lives of Others," and we're quietly allowing our government to move in this direction in the name of fighting terrorism.

Given how sloppy a lot of the software and procedures are in these systems, expect massive numbers of false positives. Expect data leaks to end up in enemy hands. None of this is worth it. No gradual improvement of technology over time designed to improve accuracy will be worth losing Democracy. We do not want to be China. It does not take much to flick off the checks & balances built into our system. We can't assume America is immune from despotism and Big Brother Syndrome.