Technology Corner

Is Big Brother Watching You?

When you wander through the local Shopping Mall on a last ditch attempt to assemble the last of the Christmas shopping, spare a thought for the poor person who's job it is to sit and watch you. Or maybe you didn't know that there was actually anyone watching you.

These days you will probably find that most shopping precincts are fitted with Closed Circuit Television, or CCTV, as it is more commonly referred to. Many people have grave concerns about thier civil liberties when it comes to surveillance of any kind, especially when the fact that we are being watched, and that our movements are being recorded onto Video Tape, are not actually revealed to us. But research has shown that most of us are more concerned about the crime that such surveillance prevents, rather than the intrusions that such techniques make into our privacy.

However, this technology already exists and therefore doesn't really belong in this column. What I am trying to demonstrate here is that we have already allowed our movements to be recorded by this method, and we should not be surprised when new ideas to keep tabs on us are brought forward "In the interest of our security".

At the moment there are a handful of progressive companies that have issued their employees with special identity badges that enable the companies computer system to keep tabs on each and every one of them. With these badges, the computer can display the relevant information on the VDU that you are in front of, and it can also forward all calls to your current location. If the computer detects that you are amongst a group of people, then it automatically marks you down as being in a meeting, and diverts any incoming information to your EMAIL or Voice mail. The downside is that it also allows the computer to know your every move, providing of course you keep your badge on. The cost of this technology will fall drastically, and it will become more common quite quickly.

Also, there are now cameras linked to powerful computer systems that can identify people without human intervention. Although this is by no means a fully developed technology, work is progressing rapidly on improving it's performance. Once complete, it will allow a local authority or Government to know who has been where and what they were doing.

In Britain the debate still goes on as to whether a National Identity Card is a good idea. We currently have a National Insurance Number, A Drivers Licence Number and various other assorted forms of identification. A National ID would certainly cut down on the paper and plastic that we need to carry around.

Now we can take another step forward and talk about a form of identification. An identity card can be lost, swapped or forged, so researchers are looking into more permanent ways of identifying an individual. Fingerprints are one method, another is an implant which we would carry around with us from soon after birth. The National Identity card has caused a great deal of consternation from those of us who believe that the ability to move around freely is paramount.

Whatever our feelings about certain new methods of surveillance, it is a fact that your Government knows more about you now than ever before, and this information can be accessed and cross referenced more efficiently than it has ever been.

Just because you are not paranoid, it doesn't mean that your not being watched.

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