Big Brother

"Is Big Brother watching us – right now?"

George Orwell’s novel ‘1984’ depicts a totalitarian state that constantly monitors its citizens, even in their private homes. Surveillance devices that cannot be turned off are installed everywhere. They are used to spread propaganda and collect information – ‘Big Brother is watching you!’ Language is also strictly controlled and simplified to ‘Newspeak’, to prevent critical thinking. This control extends to thoughts, where any dissent is brutally punished by the Thought Police. But it’s only fiction, right? No, in our real world, data protection advocates also warn of the growing trend toward a ‘transparent society’. Since Edward Snowden revealed the extent of global surveillance practices by secret services in 2013, these warnings have become more relevant than ever.