“1884.”

From the lead editorial in today’s Daily Progress:

Once upon a time, the term “big brother” from George Orwell’s novel “1884” sent chills of darkness down the spines of Americans, with its connotation not only of loss of privacy but of propaganda and government manipulation.

Ah, who could forget “1884”?

Outside, even through the shut window-pane, the world looked cold. There was one on the house-front immediately opposite. BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING YOU, the caption said, while the dark eyes looked deep into Winston’s own. In the far distance a coal-fired locomotive lurched between the buildings and chugged away again with along the curving track.

Behind Winston’s back the beeps from the telegraph were still babbling away about pig-iron and the overfulfilment of the Ninth Three-Year Plan. The telegraph received and transmitted simultaneously. Any words that Winston tapped out in Morse Code would be picked up by it. How often, or on what system, the Thought Police plugged in on any individual telegraphy wire was guesswork. It was even conceivable that they monitored everybody all the time. But at any rate they could plug in your telegraphy wire whenever they wanted to. You had to live — did live, from habit that became instinct — in the assumption that every beep you made was overheard.

Chilling, no? Thank God the world is safe for telegraphy after all.

Or is it?

Published by Waldo Jaquith

Waldo Jaquith (JAKE-with) is an open government technologist who lives near Char­lottes­­ville, VA, USA. more »

6 replies on ““1884.””

  1. In the Progress’ defense, it says “1984” in my print edition of the paper this morning. Some kind of online hiccup, I reckon.

  2. I was seriously impressed by the forward thinking displayed in this article.

    “By the same token, once information is on record, it is difficult to resist the temptation to use that information.”

    (akin to, “when I buy cookies, I can’t help but eat them all”)

    “The data collection seems benign now, even beneficial. But will government be able to limit itself to benign use of data? Or will government succumb to the temptation to abuse its power?”

    I think we have our answer to whether data can be used by government in an unbiased manner to make informed decisions. (can I even type this?) WMD’s anyone?

  3. It is worthwhile to note another of Orwell’s classics. It is a story that blurs the line of animality and humanity. A statement about us at our best and at our very worst. Of course, the book to which I am referring is “People Farm” and should be required reading for all.

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