Ever Since George Orwell wrote the novel, 1984, an ominous prediction of the world's future, people have been finding that his novel is not as far-fetched as it seemed. It is a society controlled by "Big Brother" and the Party, who know and watch all. The lack of privacy these days is making us feel like we should be hiding like the Winston:.
By sitting in the alcove, and keeping well back, Winston was able to remain outside the range of the telescreen, so far as sight went. He could be heard, of course, but so long as he stayed in his present position he could not be seen (9). .
Due to new technology, and new kinds of crime, the government and other organizations are coming up with more and more ways to watch people, very similar to the ideas in Orwell's novel.
One place where privacy is a rare occurrence is the Internet. People enter in personal data, such as their names, addresses, and credit card numbers, and this leads to more frauds than you can imagine. A lot of Internet companies have been scamming people and even selling off their personal information. Luckily, Congress and online privacy groups such as the Online Privacy Alliance are taking action. This year, the 106th Congress has passed over 200 new bills concerning privacy. (Meeks).
Despite the reflection of "Big Brother," there is actually a strong law that protects your personal information collected by the federal government. Not surprisingly, the federal government is the largest collector of personal information and you have the most to lose should government-maintained information be accessed in some way. The Privacy Act was passed in 1974, and has been added to many times since then to keep up with modern methods and technology. People can access any personal information about themselves that government agencies hold, such as educational, criminal, or medical records. However, just because we can access information we already know, it still means that others can access it as well.
