Surveillance, Control, and the Illusion of Privacy

(Hard Talk)

Conspiracy theories about powerful entities placing citizens under close surveillance are everywhere. To me, such monitoring makes sense only when it targets real threats - those plotting war, destabilizing nations, or committing heinous crimes.

Since the 1980s, we’ve dreamed of moving forward - of Star Trek technologies becoming real, of breakthroughs in medicine, science, engineering, robotics, computing etc.

Ironically much of that has happened. Yet today, some long for the simplicity of the past. Nostalgia often hits hardest when progress becomes undeniable.

But progress comes with a cost. Is true privacy nearly gone? Every click, search, and swipe leaves a trace. Some call it discipline, others call it control and the difference is significant.

Yet the world may not be as dire as The Matrix or The Net portrays. The lesson is clear, at some point, we should not become overly dependent on technology, no matter how advanced it becomes. As a US friend Wayne - used to say to me : "Shut down your computer and go out and play"

Some retreat to remote areas, seeking peace. Ironically, even isolation has been exploited by cults and manipulative movements. Control finds a way.

Leaders, tech giants, diplomats, intelligence community, journalists, economist, corporate world etc and even nations need information, sometimes genuine, sometimes manipulated. Fake news, disinformation, and half-truths can be weaponized to hide what’s really classified - but of course, in the era that we're living now, it's hard to "classify" some information as "confidential" (the "old school" might work - hard copy with no uploading). Power always resides with those who hold the right information.

The old saying, “If you’ve done nothing wrong, you’ve nothing to fear,” sounds comforting. But reality is rarely that simple. As Michel Foucault observed, surveillance shapes behaviour through the possibility of being watched. George Orwell imagined a world in 1984 where truth itself was rewritten to control minds. (Well, as some say, history is often written by the victors - and that may very well be true)

In the digital age, we are both watchers and watched. Data and product. Privacy? Is it a right, a slipping privilege, or a tool meant to protect society?

The only choice we have is adaptation. (Accepting globalization which includes virtual borderless world via technological advancement) For me, that means moving forward, staying active, avoid trouble and not letting these complex systems give me headaches. Maybe this is what being a good citizen truly means - aware, alert, yet accepting of the world we inhabit.