Government Surveillance In George Orwell's 1984: Bogus Security - Essay Example

Government Surveillance in George Orwell’s 1984: Bogus Security

The 1984 novel by George Orwell introduces us to the various ways Big Brother took control of the population in Oceania. A significant move that the state used to keep the population in check was through the use of surveillance. Under the system, the people of Oceania became fearful of the ruling law while minding their actions and moves relating in a particular manner. There exists a difference between the previous regimes in their way of the use of surveillance compared to the current modern use. The previous regimes were far stricter and harsh. There are still some bits of personal monitoring in our lives. We act accordingly while in public while behaving in a socially pleasing manner. There is little relation between the practices by Big Brother in 1984 and the actions of the government. However, there exist some close relations that lay the foundations for our lives.

In 1984, a major way the administration used to control the population in Oceania was through the use of surveillance. The citizens were under close inspection by the ruling body. The need for spying was ensuring the subjects to Big Brother were acting accordingly to the rules of the government. The scrutiny monitored the movement and actions of the people in Oceania from waking up, heading to their jobs, and coming back from their daily work. The notion of being under constant vigilance bred fear by the citizens. The fear of being punished for breaking any of the rules of the government ensured most citizens lived according to the code of the state.

The art of spying took on different ways used by the state. Entire Oceania was under surveillance through the use of telescreens. The spying systems installed in different parts of Oceania, including homes, jobs, streets, and public areas, among many more. It was to the point of slight sound made was heard. The Oceania administration also installed small microphones planted in different parts of the state that recorded the conversations of individuals.

Furthermore, the administration also made use of Though Police. The mandate was to monitor the moves and actions of citizens who were acting contrary to the government. Child soldiers were also used as spies to report to the thought police of the conversations with their parents. The kid acted with the Though Police in reporting any ill plans against the ruling body.

The Two Minutes Hate a complete show of the way the government used public events to monitor the people. People suspected of malicious activities and agendas in case they did not show enthusiasm during public gatherings. Thoughtcrime was also a criminal offense under the regime. Thoughtcrime involves thinking of something ill against the regime and involved a death penalty.

The current government does not perform spying to the extent of the previous regime. However, it still watches the actions and moves of its citizens. The advancement of technology in the world has seen new inventions and technologies make its way from the internet, smartphones, computers, and GPS, among many more. The government has easy access to the search history, calls and text messages, and social media accounts. It is simple for the government to know the location of every citizen across the world. It can trace all your calls to know what you are talking about and the person on the other end. Most people believe that there has a system to protect their data and privacy. However, they have a way to surpass the data and privacy protocols with most big systems. The National Security Agency faced a major scandal back in 2013. The scandal made various revelations, including the phone records of its citizens. A post by BBC reported that the Agency had gained access to the servers of various social media accounts, including Facebook, Yahoo, and Google. The list included a host of other internet companies. The inclusion of internet companies was to monitor the accounts of people while tracking the online communication. There was leaked information by former CIA agent Edward Snowden, which was a warning to the masses over their privacy. The communication world is not left behind, even with the advancements in the field. It is easy for the government to tap into the communication system of its citizens. The government, on most occasions, has used the Patriot Act to legalize their actions to monitor the communication. The law gives the government the right to access to the phone logs of people. The action aims at preventing the perpetuation of terrorism acts. However, there is the abuse of the law with our communication with the NSA scandal as proof.

Some close similarities relate between the Big Brother Reign and the current government. However, the current government does not monitor its citizens to the extent used by Big Brother. Government surveillance in George Orwell’s 1984: Bogus Security, shows the extreme ways which Big Brother was willing to go to gain control of the population. The extent was too deep to the extent of installing telescreens at various points to monitor the moves and actions of the citizens. Other ways used by the administration include the use of small microphones to capture the conversation of the people. Though police had to monitor perceived threats against the government, to make it worse, even children were a means of surveilling recording the conversations of their parents. The same applies to our current society with our government using technologies such as the internet to monitor our conversations. There is a false sense of privacy in the current society we live in. The same ways the homes in Ocean were monitored, is the same way our homes are monitored. The government can also track our phone calls and text messages as they wish. Our social media accounts, which contain our personal information, are also under scrutiny. There difference between the Big Brother regime in 1984 by George Orwell is the extent of the monitoring. This begs the use of bogus security by the ruling body to keep tabs on its citizens.