When I think about 1984isms, I’m not so much scared at the thought of being monitored. I am more scared that I find it hard to be scared of people watching me. It does not make me a good advocate for citizens’ privacy so I try to pay close attention to news items dealing with the use and abuse of personal information. I should be aware of some of the threats.
In my own life, there are only two places where I really think about people looking at my personal information: the bank and Safeway. I was just at both tonight. I can’t help but imagine a small number of people huddled over my records and laughing at me. Laughing at my bank balance. Laughing at the quantities of applesauce I consume.