2014 has Become 1984
1984 is a 1949 bestselling novel by George Orwell. A recurring theme was “Big Brother is watching you.”
In 2014, much of the “1984” fiction is reality. Identity theft has become commonplace. Credit bureaus have databases with years of our buying history. State confiscation of our assets using escheat laws reveal much about our investing patterns. Cell phones and GPS systemscan trace us anywhere we are. So can Easy Pass systemsand credit cards. Amazon.com and Walmart keep meticulous track of everything we’ve purchased from them and regularly email us suggestions for additional purchases. Amazon.com will be using drones for deliveries to us. Every email and website you ever sent, received or visited is now a permanent record. Marketing firms know everything we buy, every car we drive, every large purchase we make, where we bank and have credit card informationand every phone number we have. UPS and FedEx have every U.S. address in their database. I read that the U.S. Census Bureau could have saved $3 billion outsourcing the Census to UPS. Google and Yahoo track every click you make searching the web. Most people’s life histories can be found on Internet searches if they already do not appear on Facebook or LinkedIn, as can many of the people they know.
Recently,the news showed alleged scandals of NY Police and firemen on disability that seemed to be in great health; and some of Governor Christy aides creating traffic jams on the George Washington Bridge to “punish” the Fort Lee Mayor; both uncovered by emails. I also read in New York Magazine about the deterioration of the relationship between Alex Rodrigues and Yankee President Randy Levine, also disclosed in a series of emails.
In litigation, everything is discoverable including entire hard drives, email accounts and transmissions. Even deleted email is recoverable, and hackers work, unimpeded.
Even going further, the federal government listens in on every phone call we make, and gets our call and text information from the phone companies. At one point, 100 IRS agents were copying down delivery addresses from mail originating from specific Swiss and foreign banks to catch people with unreported foreign bank accounts. Our photos are now taken when we cross streets and are in traffic. Even our medical records are open books for those that care to see them.
To check what the Government has on you, request a copy of your files under the Freedom of Information Act. There are a number of agencies you might have to write to. Ask for it in writing, not email. Get the instructions at www.FOIA.gov. Also, review your credit report – it is amazing what is in it and any errors can affect your borrowing ability.
Fiction has become fact. Big Brother is watching us!
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