"Orwell feared that one day a ruthless, omnipotent state would train cameras on its citizens, surveilling them into obedience. Yet as the gruesome digital photos from Abu Ghraib prison demonstrate, something different can happen. Instead of merciless totalitarians keeping the people in check, citizens can hold the state accountable. Today, armed with a cheap digital camera, Little Brother is watching."
"In the age of Photoshop, anyone can operate their very own Ministry of Truth. If reality bites, we can just defang it and alter the picture to better serve our aims. Power corrupts; digital power corrupts digitally. The result could be a Gresham's law of photography - a proliferation of images in which the fraudulent drives out the authentic. Or perhaps, bewildered by false documentation and unsure of whom to trust, we'll simply believe the images we want to believe - the ones that confirm our prejudices and ennoble our cause. Those instruments of accountability could morph again - into cudgels of confirmation whose purpose is as propagandistic and dishonest as the programs that blared through Winston Smith's telescreen.
So while we cheer the ability of individuals to keep an eye on those in charge, we should be wary - as Orwell would have cautioned - that technology is no substitute for integrity. In 2004, Big Brother can't hurt us, because Little Brother has the power. Be thrilled. Or worried. Or both."
Link
Source: Wired
See also:
No Where To Hide - PC Magazine
IT on the Campaign Trail - CIO
Supernova: Networks and identity - Red Herring
Total Info System Totally Touchy - Wired
Information Awareness Office - Wikipedia
Privacy - Wikipedia
Spyware - Wikipedia
Pretty Good Privacy - Wikipedia
The Transparent Society - Wired
How Carnivore Works - Howstuffworks
How Workplace Surveillance Works - Howstuffworks
Echelon Watch
The Privacy Arms Race - Fast Company
Bizarre Facts From Digital Fortress - Dan Brown
Privacy Foundation
The secrets your computer just can't keep safe - BBC
Who are the New Intelligence Pioneers? - Intelligenceonline.com
Personal data privacy news - Moreover
No comments:
Post a Comment