The Eyes Have It

Our first warning of the dangers of surveillance came early: our debut issue of January 1984, where we reported on tracking devices that were being installed in Hong Kong automobiles for the purpose of charging for road use.  It was even reported that street cameras were being programmed to snap a photo of the license plate of any car whose driver attempted to tamper with the device.  Orwellian, to say the least.

Today, congestion charging is commonplace, we willingly add devices to our cars that can play back the routes we've taken, and we're especially eager to install theft protection that will locate our missing autos, should they fall victim to a car snatching.  And, of course, street cameras are everywhere.

As a society, we spend an awful lot of time focusing on the advantages of these gadgets and not enough on the potential threats they pose.  Sure, we protect the environment by tracking and taxing frequent drivers.  But we're also setting up the ability to always know where a vehicle is or has been.  And that is a definite threat to anyone who still values privacy.

License plate scanners can quickly find cars with outstanding tickets - or the general location of someone who's wanted for one crime or another.  Or really, anyone whose whereabouts are of interest.  And, like most surveillance of today, there's no way to know when you're of interest.

Devices like LoJack are great for finding stolen vehicles.  But it doesn't stop there.  Who wouldn't also want that ability for their lost pet or abducted child?  Whether it's a device inside a car or a chip under the skin, it's capable of working anytime, not just when you need it.  But we've convinced ourselves that the world is such a dangerous place that the risk of abuse is a necessary tradeoff.

Cameras on streets have gotten so popular among the frightened populace that some neighborhoods fight to have more installed in order to battle crime.  However, there is no clear evidence that these devices do anything to stop crime, and, in fact, they've been shown to simply encourage criminals to find a camera-free zone to do their dirty work.  In cities like London, even that might be difficult, as it's practically impossible not to be on camera if you're walking around town.  But the city is no safer than it was, based on its own statistics.  And yet, people remain convinced that constant surveillance is a necessity.

In addition to the steady increase of surveillance over time, our very notion of what constitutes surveillance has changed.  We raised the warning years ago about the dangers of Caller ID, where people would know who was calling them before they picked up the phone.  Today, most of us can't imagine what it would be like not to have this feature, and any hint that this is somehow a privacy invasion is roundly scoffed at.  But calling people without sending your name and number used to be the norm and this form of anonymity wasn't seen as a negative thing at all.  It made receiving phone calls somewhat mysterious and even intriguing.  And there was much resistance when it started to change.  But, like so many other things, our perceptions of the world around us have changed.  We must always be asking if these changes are for the better.

Whether it's by using social networks and apps to constantly let everyone know where we are and what we're doing, or by installing tracking devices of various sorts to always keep us company, we reinforce the belief that it's a normal part of life and that there's absolutely nothing wrong with it.  Those who don't buy into it are by default a little more suspicious and might actually be seen as having something to hide.  While it hasn't gotten to the point where you can be questioned for not having a tracking implant or for failing to check in with Foursquare, it doesn't take much imagination to see where we might be going if our world perception continues to evolve in this direction.  Add a little fear into the mix and a population can be manipulated into doing most anything to protect themselves.  Fear, after all, has always been a very effective marketing tool.

But there is one constant value that has remained, despite being increasingly chipped away at: anonymity, which is essential in a free world.  Yet, every year, the cry of opposition to this notion seems a little stronger.  After all, terrorists, child pornographers, and those people who leak information - they all rely on being anonymous, don't they?  Our emotions are tweaked to the point where we feel that anything must be done to stop these people, even if it means giving up something we once prized, even if precious little factual information accompanies our emotions.

The value of anonymous email and net activity has always been high on the list in the hacker community.  If the mass media were to get a hold of the previous sentence, you would no doubt be told that hackers (and others) are drawn to anonymity because it facilitates crime.  Nothing could be further from the truth.  Anonymity has to do with protecting the identity of everyone - from whistleblowers to crime victims to people who just want to be able to speak their minds without fear of retribution.  Yes, it can be used for evil as well as for good, but that can be said of any element of freedom.  If you have trouble envisioning the importance of anonymity in your own world, imagine its necessity in places where freedom isn't held in high esteem and where even visiting the wrong website can get your door kicked in.  Fixating on the potential criminal applications is yet another way of giving up something valuable due to fear.  It's so very easy to fall into this trap.

But whether it's through fear or the simple desire to stay connected, we are steadily moving into a world where our whereabouts are always known, our words and actions always tied to our identity.  For those who like this sort of thing, there are all kinds of neat and fun things to do with the technology.  But at some point, we all have the need to not have our presence known, to speak anonymously, to enjoy a bit of privacy like so many used to on a more regular basis.  Building a world where this is difficult or looked down upon is a guarantee that our love affair with surveillance will end badly when we realize that we can't escape it.