He Sees You When You're Sleeping

                One major concern people have nowadays is that of privacy.  With more and more technologies being developed that can track where you are, when you were there, and other personal information, this fear is justified.  In one reading this week, the chapter ‘The Challenge of an Open Society’ from David Brin’s The Transparent Society, the dilemma was posed of which society to choose when both are straight from Orwell’s 1984.  Both of these cities have cameras round every corner, always watching.  In one city, only law enforcement or other government personnel can watch the video tapes, while the other one lets everyone view the cameras.  This difficult decision poses the question, is it better to have some privacy with the ‘safety’ of the government, or live freely but be stalked by the public?

                It’s a difficult choice to make, but I personally would choose the second society.  While it may seem easier to choose the first, and have the safety of knowing the police are watching out for us, they may be watching us doing things we don’t want to get out.  Whether illegal or embarrassing, they’re looking at us more diligently, and thus are more likely to be watching you at any given time.

                In the second society, however, everyone can watch each other.  It is easy to think, “Well, that means that all the stalkers will be watching our habits”, but I’m a bit of an optimist in this situation.  Even if we are being watched by malicious people, I believe that there would be someone benevolent that would also be watching, who could help in times of need.  For every bad person, there are two good people.

                Brin would agree with the second society.  He later argues that accountability is the way that we can strive in such a cautious lifestyle.  If we ask questions, and somewhat distrust government, this gives us a skeptical lens with which to peer into the lives of others.  As he says, “Whenever a conflict arises between privacy and accountability, people demand the former for themselves and the latter for everybody else” (331).  As an individual, privacy is our main goal, and it’s everyone else’s job to make sure we have it.  But it’s a two way street: we need to reciprocate this idea.

                This is precisely the reason why society two could flourish.  Supposing that, to quote Plato, we all minded our own business, living with 24 hour surveillance would be just fine.

                In a way, we’re already living in this society.  Our internet usage and phone call history can be accessed by non-government folks.  Yet no consequence befalls either end of this viewership.  This is simply because of the accountability.  They can watch us, and make sure nothing illegal occurs, but in the end, what is the point in observing an upstanding citizen?  If nothing of note is going on, why waste time watching for a slipup?