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MoveOver,BigBrother1.Livingwithoutprivacy,eveninhisbedroom,wasnoproblemforLouisXIV.Infact,itwasawayfortheFrenchkingtodemonstratehisabsoluteauthorityovereventhemostpowerfulmembersofthearistocracy.Eachmorning,theygatheredtoseetheSunKinggetup,pray,performhisbodilyfunctions,choosehiswigandsoon.2.Willthispast—lifewithoutprivacy—beourfuture?Manyfuturists,sciencefictionwritersandprivacyadvocatesbelieveso.BigBrother,theyhavelongwarned,iswatching.Closed-circuittelevisioncamerasoftentrackyourmoves;yourmobilephonerevealsyourlocation;yourtransitpassandcreditcardsleavedigitaltrails.Nowthereisthepossibilitythatcitizensarebeingwatched.3.Butinthepastfewyears,somethingstrangehashappened.Thankstothespreadofmobilephones,digitalcamerasandtheinternet,surveillancetechnologyhasbecomefarmorewidelyavailable.BruceSchneier,asecurityguru,arguesthatacombinationofforces—theminiaturisationofsurveillancetechnologies,thefallingpriceofdigitalstorageandevermoresophisticatedsystemsabletosortthroughlargeamountsofinformation—meansthat“surveillanceabilitiesthatusedtobelimitedtogovernmentsarenow,orsoonwillbe,inthehandsofeveryone.”4.Digitaltechnologies,suchascameraphonesandtheinternet,areverydifferentfromtheiranaloguecounterparts.Adigitalimage,unlikeaconventionalphotograph,canbequicklyandeasilycopiedanddistributedaroundtheworld.Anotherimportantdifferenceisthatdigitaldevicesarefarmorewidespread.Mostpeopletaketheircameraphoneswiththemeverywhere.5.Thespeedandubiquityofdigitalcamerasletsthemdothingsthatfilm-basedcamerascouldnot.InOctober,forexample,thevictimofarobberyinNashville,Tennessee,usedhiscamera-phonetotakepicturesofthethiefandhisgetawayvehicle.Theimageswereshowntothepolice,whobroadcastdescriptionsofthemanandhistruck,leadingtohisarresttenminuteslater.6.Thedemocratisationofsurveillanceisamixedblessing,however.Cameraphoneshaveledtovoyeurismsandnewlegislationtostrengthenpeople’srightstotheirownimage.InSeptember,America’sCongresspassedthe“VideoVoyeurismPreventionAct”,whichprohibitsthephotographyofvariouspartsofpeople’sunclothedbodiesorundergarmentswithouttheirconsent.Thelegislationwaspromptedbothbythespreadofcamera-phonesandthegrowingincidenceofhiddencamerasinbedrooms,publicshowers,toiletsandlockerrooms.Similarly,Germany’sparliamenthaspassedabillthatoutlawsunauthorizedphotoswithinbuildings.InSaudiArabia,theimportandsaleofcamera-phoneshasbeenbanned,andreligiousauthoritieshavedenouncedthemfor“spreadingobscenity”.SouthKorea’sgovernmenthasorderedmanufacturerstodesignnewphonessothattheybeepwhentakingapicture.7.Therearealsoconcernsabouttheuseofdigitalcamerasandcamera-phonesforindustrialespionage.Sprint,anAmericanmobileoperator,isnowofferingoneofitsbest-sellingphoneswithoutacamerainresponsetodemandsfromitscorporatecustomers,manyofwhichhavebannedcamerasintheirworkplaces.Somefirmsmakevisitorsandstaffleavecamera-phonesattheentranceofresearchandmanufacturingfacilities—includingSamsung,theSouthKoreancompanythatpioneeredthecameraphone.8.Cheapsurveillancetechnologyfacilitatesothersortsofcrime.TwoemployeesatapetrolstationinBritishColumbia,forexample,installedahiddencameraintheceilingaboveacardreader,andrecordedthepersonalidentificationnumbersofthousandsofpeople.Theyalsoinstalledadeviceto“skim”accountdetailsfromusersastheyswipedtheirplasticcards.Thetwomengatheredtheaccountdetailsofover6,000peopleandforged1,000bankcardsbeforebeingcaught.9.Butthespreadofsurveillancetechnologyalsohasitsbenefits.Inparticular,itcanenhancetransparencyandaccountability.Moreandmorevideocamerascanbefoundinschools,forexample.Web-basedservicessuchasParentWatch.comandKinderCam.comlinktocamerasinhundredsofAmericanchild-carecenters,sothatparentscanseewhattheiroffspring(andthoselookingafterthem)areupto.Schoolsarealsoputtingwebcamsintheirclassrooms.AndtechfirmssuchasGooglehaveputwebcamsintheirstaffrestaurants,soemployeescandelaygoingtolunchiftheyseealongqueue.10.SteveMann,aprofessorattheUniversityofToronto,callsthespreadofcitizensurveillance“sousveillance”—becausemostcamerasnolongerwatchfromabove,butfromeyelevel.Insteadofbeingontopofbuildingsandattachedtoroomceilings,camerasarenowcarriedbyordinarypeople.ThevideoimagesofRodneyKingbeingassaultedbypoliceofficersandthehorrificpicturesofprisonerabusefromtheAbuGhraibjailinIraqarethebestknownexamples.11.Camera-phonescouldhaveaprofoundeffectonthenewsmedia.Cameraphonesmakeeveryoneapotentialnewsphotographer.Unsurprisingly,oldmediaisstartingtoembracethetrend.TheSanDiegoUnion-Tribunerecentlylaunchedawebsitetogathercamera-phoneimagesofnewseventstakenbytheirreaders,andtheBBCalsoencouragesusersofitswebsitetosendinpicturesofnewsevents.12.Companiesandgovernmentswillhavetoassumethattherecouldbeacameraoramicrophoneeverywhere,allthetime,arguesPaulSaffooftheInstitutefortheFuture.Unsafeconditionsinafactoryorpollutionatachemicalplantarehardertodenyiftheyarenotjustdescribed,butshowninphotosandvideos.Animal-rightsactivists,forinstance,operateonlinemultimediaarchiveswherepeoplecanstoreandviewgraphicimagesfromchickenfarms,slaughterhousesandfurfactories.Suchmaterialcancause