1984 George Orwell Privacy Analysis

The government’s use of cameras allows for total domination over citizens privacy. First, in the book, 1984, Winston tries to hide his

How do you feel about the government monitoring you? Watching what you eat, when you sleep, what job you have, etc. Is the author of 1984, George Orwell, trying to show us how much power you can have over people by creating fear in them? By constantly being monitored. In this essay, I’m going to explain how 1984 has a huge impact on how power can really change people and their perspectives.

Many Americans do not realize that at any time of the day the government could be observing their “private” lives. On the other hand, some individuals have predicted the government would develop a form of constant surveillance, like George Orwell who forecasted a futuristic government, which used technology as a relentless eye on the members of the society in the novel 1984. 1984 was correct, to an extent, in predicting that the government would increase their usage of technology to constantly observe their people, whether in public or their private homes.

Oceanians are used to living in a constant state of surveillance either through technology or police patrol. “In the far distance a helicopter skimmed down between the roofs, hovered for an instant like a bluebottle, and darted away again with a curving flight. It was the police patrol, snooping into people’s windows” (Orwell 2). “The telescreen received and transmitted simultaneously. Any sound that Winston made, above the level of a very low whisper would be picked up by it” (Orwell 3). Orwell’s description of the telescreen and its role in monitoring and brainwashing the society on behalf of the thought police provides an image of a totalitarian government preventing the free expression of thought. The party’s surveillance tactics and technology are so advanced that even the smallest twitch can betray a rebellious

In the novel 1984, George Orwell uses imagery and word choice to demonstrate how much people value their privacy. This is proven when the citizens learn that the Police Patrol and the government are spying on them in their homes without them knowing. George Orwell states that he knows there is someone snooping in his windows all the time. Night or day, it does not matter. He knows for a fact they are watching his every move. This goes to show that the Police Patrol and government have no boundaries and do not respect their citizens privacy in any way. They are trying to catch them doing anything they are not supposed to be doing. Everybody should feel safe when they are in their home. No one wants to always feel like someone is constantly

“ (Orwell #8) Undoubtedly, the feeling of having no privacy is a horrible one. It makes those who are victims feel vulnerable and insecure, not knowing who could be around to see them. Privacy is an important part of who people are as humans and it makes it so people have the freedom to learn who they are, what their passions are, and what they like. In 1984, I thought that all changed. The government knows this fact, so to make it easier to control their citizens they destroy the concept of privacy as a whole.

A world beyond what George Orwell could imagine has been created in modern society through the use of not only government surveillance, but also corporate and consumer spying where users are often unaware of spying.. 1984 is set in a neo-communist society where the government controls production of goods and spies on its citizens in order to maintain power. In the modern era, surveillance takes a different form. Often the methods for spying on citizens in the US do not involve a direct line from the NSA to the citizen’s home, it usually takes a detour through a commercial setting. By partnering with major companies such as Facebook, Google, and Amazon, government surveillance programs are able to collect far more information than could be gained by simply tapping telephone lines. This is more disturbing since many companies including Verizon, AT&T, Apple, and Amazon do not require a warrant to supply information to investigators, and do not notify users of data requests.

Everyone has always wondered if people were ever watching them. Our technology today is capable to eavesdrop in on anyone’s conversations even if their phones are turned off. In the novel, “1984”, the party INGSOC uses telescreens to watch over the people and always know what they are up to. This denies the people’s rights and privileges to go about their business as they please. The technology we have today is almost exact to what big brother uses in George Orwell’s novel by taking over the public and private parts of our lives.

The strict surveillance of citizens as seen in Orwell’s novel, 1984, is similar to the government involvement in today’s smart devices due to their advanced technical abilities.

Living Under Constant Surveillance “Who controls the past, controls the future: who controls the present controls the past. ”(Orwell, pg.37). In the novel 1984, George Orwell tells the story of how a totalitarian government controls every aspect of people's lives. George Orwell wrote 1984 to try to give readers a picture of what life would be like if a free country went under totalitarian rule. How people spend their time, who they associate with and what they're allowed to say.

In 1984, Big Brother was always watching you, Big Brother as in the government. Technology in the book was advanced for the time period it was written it, but now it has become a reality. Winston, the protagonist explains how he feels no safer in the country than in the city because although there were not any telescreens around, there could always be microphones hidden and listening to every word he says (Orwell 67). The surveillance on American citizens today has become extremely more in depth. Beginning with the street lights, they may seem as a vital tool for drivers and pedestrians but they are now being implanted with technology that is intrusive to citizens’ privacy.

Comrades are blindsided by the way the government abolishes their personal viability;no one in the society has privacy. Big Brother is omnipresent hence “even from the coin the eyes pursued you. On coins, on stamps, and on the wrapping of a cigarette packet-- everywhere. Always the eyes watching you and the voice enveloping you. Asleep or awake, working or eating, indoors or out of doors, in the bath or in bed -- no escape.” (Orwell, 27). In other words, the interpretation of Big Brother is evident in the community down to an object as straightforward as a cigarette packet. Regardless of where comrades stand, the party is able to see and hear everything; the voice over the intercom consistently mocking and barking orders to the citizens. There is only invasion of privacy- all movements are monitored through telescreens, Thought Police and others. The ability for enabling privacy decreases the chances for the citizens to revolt. The telescreens are constantly on, knowing every movement, processing everything said. The telescreens are in every part of the Party’s communities: inside homes, bathrooms, all of the Ministries, and inside picture frames. Including, Thought Police who pose as comrades prey on others who may be breaking the rules secretively. When Big Brother’s face is on every materialistic thing, he is a constant reminder that the comrades are being watched.

There was an incident where a Android Wallpaper App collected information about a person’s phone. It would take the phone number, the subscriber identifier, and the voicemail number, then proceeded to send it to a mysterious site in China. The information was never used for anything, and it was harmless, but still scary. This relates back to 1984 in the sense that the Party and the Thought Police knew almost every aspect of your life. What they didn’t know is what went on inside your head. That is the type of information a device cannot get from you.

1984, a novel by George Orwell, represents a dystopian society in which the people of Oceania are surveilled by the government almost all the time and have no freedoms. Today, citizens of the United States and other countries are watched in a similar way. Though different technological and personal ways of keeping watch on society than 1984, today’s government is also able to monitor most aspects of the people’s life. 1984 might be a dystopian society, but today’s condition seems to be moving towards that controlling state, where the citizens are surveilled by the government at all times.

Surveillance, or a close watch kept over someone or something for a specific purpose, features prominently in George Orwell’s dystopian novel 1984. The book follows Winston Smith, a middle-aged man who lives in the futuristic society of Oceania, where the government of the Party, under the leadership of Big Brother, maintains strict control of the people and prevents free thought through propaganda, censorship, and surveillance. Winston tries to think freely while evading detection and succeeds for a time in having an affair with his co-conspirator Julia, but the Party eventually captures and re-educates both of them. Surveillance has also become a controversial issue in today’s society, as Heather Kelly discusses in her article “After