Many people have questioned taking prophecy literally because of the massive amount of control it describes in eschatological (end times) terms. However, are we seeing these technologies being set into place right now under our noses? Or is technology continuing to assist us in better living?
In the UK (and being tested in the US) systems of cameras and audio devices have been spread out all over among major and minor towns and cities to assist police in not only monitoring every inch of their jurisdictions, but also provide the ability to use speaker systems to enable communicating to people on the street while watching them on live camera feeds. While many people have long ago accepted that they are under constant watch by a myriad of security cameras in public, most do not expect any sort of privacy in public.
But what about times when you are in your own house or car? While many now have come to the realization that wiretapping (and storage of such information) has been now allowed for years in the US including all phone, internet, sms, online chatting, onboard car assitance services and other communications, many do not seem to realize that listening in on conversations does not merely happen when you initiate a conversation with someone via electronic means: Could someone be listening or watching you when you are sitting on your couch…in the bathroom….or lying in bed? (And furthermore: Why? And what do you think about that if it were a possibility?)
At the risk of sounding a bit ‘out there’….Is there any proof of plans or current actions which are actually listening or watching us in our own homes? I’d like to provide you with a few examples to consider:
Take for example plans by Google, first announced in 2006. I went back and found a quick link to this article from Technology Review:
http://www.technologyreview.com/read_article.aspx?id=17354&ch=infotech
In short, Google is seeking to improve itself by turning on certain devices to monitor activities via sounds or video from your home. Why? They claim it is to tailor ads and other services to current or potential consumers.
Just recently now Comcast (cable tv giant) has announced its intention to start implementing new software to ‘watch’ people in the living room in order to tailor a specific viewing experience based on the identities of the people in the room. You can read more about that here:
http://gizmodo.com/369379/comcast-wants-to-put-a-camera-in-your-cable-box
Furthermore…perhaps you have heard of a little company named OnStar. Perhaps you even have its service installed in your vehicle. Did you know that conversations taped via OnStar have been used to obtain prosecutions in the US? (This time: no link. Nope. Verify it yourself via your favorite search engine.)
What am I getting at? Well..first off: If there are plans of monitoring you in your house or car, whether by video or listening device…Is that ok with you? If so, when and where? And furthermore: Are these things beneficial to us, or more harmful? Are these things to be feared, or gratefully accepted? What rights do we have…or don’t have?
And perhaps more importantly: Are these coming technologies moving us towards a world with heavy-handed control….Where a government can have absolute control over all who are allowed to buy or sell….Where the people are ruled with an iron, global fist? Or is that absolute nonesense….Is it merely a case of technology improving, and while at times uncomfortable we should have nothing to fear unless we are doing something wrong?
What do you think?
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