2084

George Orwell was clairvoyant. He was just off by about a hundred years. This is the most frightening news I've seen in a long time.

Prepare yourself for the next stage in the enactment of Total Information Awareness. The Obama administration is in the process of enacting a “mass surveillance state.” Raw Story reports that the FBI is working on “an advanced biometrics facility” that will also be used by the Pentagon.

I gave up on the notion of privacy and flying under the radar in about 2003 when I finally bought my own computer. I realized at that point, even if you only have a checking account, the government can track you and the only way to get off the grid is to live in a cave in the wilderness. But this program takes surveillance to a truly Orwellian level.

I admit, even knowing that no politician willingly forfeits vested power, that I had harbored a fool's hope Obama would reject this sort of expansion. Sad to be so wrong.

[Via Avedon who has so many must read links right now that I should have just copied her posts and pasted them here so you don't miss any of them.]