Surveillance Today, Are We Trending?

Twelve-year-old John McLean was confronted and interrogated by the FBI's Joint Terrorist Task Force after the middle school student’s Internet activity triggered electronic surveillance red flags. The government’s monitoring of this child’s research for a simple school project brings to light the current trend of the United States government and its National Surveillance State towards that seen in 1984.

Now to be clear from the very beginning, I am in no way advocating that the United States is becoming Oceania, and that we will soon be under a totalitarian regime. Instead I am advocating that as a citizenry we understand the trend of our country towards increased surveillance, and the effects of it as compared to Oceania from 1984.

At the root of both Oceania’s surveillance, as well as the surveillance in the United States, is a want for government prevention and control. In the book 1984, the totalitarian regimes of Oceania, Eurasia, and Eastasia are trying to prevent any sort of an uprising, and are thus using thoughtcrime to incriminate its subjects. In America, the government is using increased surveillance to try and prevent crime and terrorism. Both sides have great intentions, but the totalitarian regime is a definitely going over the top.

“Every day, collection systems at the National Security Agency intercept and store over 1.7 Billion emails, phone calls, and other types of communications.” In the Washington Post article Top Secret America, Priest and Arkin reported on the insanity if how much the government is watching our every move. The major difference between the United States and Oceania is this, the Fourth Amendment Probable Cause clause.

In the United States Constitution’s  Fourth Amendment it states that, “The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause…” This clause, upheld in the Supreme Court cases Katz v United States, United States v Jones, and Kyllo v United States has protected citizens and their right to privacy.

This is a picture of the telescreens from Oceania. Winston is doing his best to hide from the view of the telescreen by hiding in a corner to write in his journal. These telescreens are an extremely effective form of government surveillance in Oceania.

In Oceania no such protections exist. It is impossible to keep anything private, even a twitch of your face can get you arrested for thoughtcrime. Surveillance in this community is not taken through monitoring phone calls or emails, but rather through direct observation. In every building there are multiple receptors similar to what we would call a “bug” or a “wire”. Called “telescreens” they are essentially a two way television that you can’t turn off. It is always broadcasting something into your room, and you are always being watched. Oftentimes there are multiple in a house, as we see when Winston and Julia are captured in their room by virtue of a hidden telescreen.

The other extremely effective type of surveillance is the use of children in the community to constantly be on the watch for thoughtcrime. Children are completely loyal to Big Brother, and are thus willing to go to any length to protect his interests. This often results in their capturing of many people in the resistance, as well as even accusing their parents of thoughtcrime. Winston experiences this in the book when he goes to fix Mrs. Parsons plumbing and is accused multiple times by her children of being a traitor, thoughtcrimal, and Eurasian spy.

While we don’t need to be worried about our children spying on us in modern day America, there are certain things we as a citizenry need to be aware of. Under Patriot Act and the more recent National Defense Authorization Act the government has a lot freedom with which they can collect, collate, and analyze data. Warrants have become much easier to acquire, and freedoms guaranteed in the Constitution, such as the right to habeas corpus guaranteed in article I section nine clause two, are being bypassed and violated.

This political cartoon is comparing warrantless wiretaps, another provision included in the National Defense Authorization Act, to the treatment of the Jewish people in World War II much like they are being compared to Oceania in this article. 

As a people, it is important that we are informed on the issues that are surrounding us, and that we take action to insure our freedoms. A loss of freedom does not come all at once, but is instead a gradual process. Much like the story about a frog being cooked in water that slowly warms, rather than dropping it in hot water, we will be cooked if we are not careful.

Taking action does not need to be nearly as drastic as the military coups instigated as a result of the Arab Spring in many Middle Eastern countries. Instead action must be taken much like the response to the proposed SOPA and PIPA legislation from early 2012. Thirty-five thousand emails were sent from citizens to their congressman, and 4.5 million people signed Google’s petition. The response was taken quite seriously and the legislation was voted down.

Surveillance in the United States is not near as bad as it is in Oceania, but it is something to keep an eye on. While the surveillance is of a completely different type, and is much harder to see in action for most Americans, the source can be found. We need to be more informed of the legislation that is passed, otherwise we will end up like the people of Oceania, and no one wants a picture of Big Brother on their wall all day long.