The Big Brother – future or present

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Have you ever thought about being spied on? Nowadays, as technology is developing really fast, it is hard to say if the devices we use on a regular basis are some kind of data conveyor or not. Can we say that nobody sees us through cameras placed on the screen of our telephones or laptops? We can’t take our security for granted. Our devices may even have a tap to listen if we say certain words, for instance a bomb, terrorism, etc. But what about cameras, which could be placed on every street in your country? Would you have neutral feelings, like to your devices? Would you like the idea of somebody else knowing who you are, what are you doing outside, knowing if you committed a crime in the past?

George Orwell, the author of ,,Rok 1984’’ (“Nineteen Eighty-Four”), created his version of future. Like in the book, the eye of the big brother was everywhere, today it is present in certain places.

You may have heard that more and more countries introduce spying systems to invigilate citizens. Chinese scientists have implemented AI in the system of cameras, which is able to catch thousands of faces at once, in details. Then the system generates data which are attached to faces stored in cloud and immediately localising the person which is wanted.

The system of cameras was created in Shanghai. It is several times higher than the resolution of 120 million pixels of the human eye.

There is no doubt that everyone knows that China Is a country of universal surveillance. But the authorities of this country want to have even more control over Chinese citizens, so they are searching for new technology solutions. The already have a biometric identification of passengers in the beijing metro and intelligent glasses which are being used by the police.

There are even drones which look like birds. People can’t tell the difference between the real one and the drone, because the drones can do the same movements as the real birds.

Democratic countries are also interested in spying. China is spreading its technology to other countries for instance by Huawei. USA is selling artificial intelligence technologies for spying (with IBM as the main seller). At least 75 countries are introducing AI systems in citizens monitoring.

Although the police in China say that normal citizens do not have to worry about anything, as the their data will be used when they will be needed and if citizens ask for it, I myself wouldn’t like the idea of constantly being watched. What is your opinion on that?

 

Written by Karolina Rudko

 

 

References:

https://www.newsweek.pl/swiat/chinski-system-monitoringu-oko-wielkiego-brata-170-mln-kamer/hb6fmzm

https://mlodytechnik.pl/technika/29920-swiat-szpieguje

https://www.google.com/search?q=kamery+w+miastach&tbm=isch&ved=2ahUKEwjm7vr2n7jmAhWZcVAKHYkiCSwQ2-cCegQIABAA&oq=kamery+w+miastach&gs_l=img.3..0i24l2.51338.83637..83842…0.0..0.89.1389.17……0….1..gws-wiz-img…..0..0j0i131j0i8i30.CB7bK_82Jqc&ei=13b2XaanEpnjwQKJxaTgAg&bih=663&biw=767&safe=active#imgrc=JQbwNEeSbBL_sM

2 thoughts on “The Big Brother – future or present

  1. Grońska Julia says:

    The system would be great for finding criminals or someone who is wanted. But, it is not only for that and it is easy for the authorities to find anyone they want to find. I wouldn’t like to be watched and spied on every day.

  2. Śmiałek Paweł says:

    This is a very controversial topic. On one hand, I see how it can improve the work of police and ensure safety, but on the other one, it’s still a very new technology and I can see why so many people oppose it.

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