A Conversation for Talking Point: Are we living in a 'Big Brother' state?
You help big brother
Maolmuire Started conversation Jul 4, 2002
Got a credit card?
Got a mortgage?
Surf the web?
Got a loyalty card?
Got a phone line?
A mobile phone?
Come on people, they (oooh, the shadowy, nefarious 'they') already have huge amounts of data on you! Your credit/loyalty card tells them what you buy, where, how much you spend etc. Your IP address is known by a large number of sites (as is your e-mail address). Who you call and for how long (as well maybe, as *what* you actually say) is known too. Big Brother? He'd be dead jealous, wouldn't he?
You help big brother
Mr. Legion Posted Jul 4, 2002
I accept all that, but it hardly counts as 'helping' the powers that are spying on you. And it's hard to be intimidated by someone trying to sell you a mortgage via e-mail. Big Brother used to be scary...
What is far more threatening to my mind is the US governments use of listening stations around the world. From their bases in the UK, they can effectively listen in on phone conversations all across Europe, picking up on key words such as 'bomb', 'assassination', 'nuclear' etc. This is the kind of invasion of privacy that bothers me. I'm not sure if there is an Internet equivalent, but it can only be a matter of time. BTW, I am not a paranoid nut. This information is in the public domain. 
The idea of a central 'them' is ridiculous, I agree. Why would the US government care what I buy at Tescos? They don't stock uranium, do they?
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You help big brother
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