1984, a novel by George Orwell, takes you on a journey through a dystopian version of Oceania where two protagonists try to keep their illegal love affairs secret in different ways the group members try to spy on them. The two lovers never seem to be safe with hidden microphones and cameras embedded in the streets they walk, the places they work and even their homes. In today's world, the American people are always skeptical about whether or not our government is invading our personal privacy or even spying on us through the means of our technology, and why wouldn't they be? With today's technology, the government could easily monitor an unsuspecting individual through their personal devices. And not only that, we help them by taking photos of our daily lives and literally posting them on the Internet for all to see. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay George Orwell's chilling prophecies about where we are going as a society match the controversial topics of the unknown if we are being watched our personal devices, surveillance on the streets, and the use of NOC spies. Currently, the government's methods of surveilling the population in today's America are certainly not as extreme as the methods used by party members in 1984, but today's society gives the impression that we are moving towards a more dystopian society. Surveillance cameras on the streets of America are produced with the purpose of observing a specific area. Whether it's the streets of New York, a bank, or a jewelry store, they all serve the purpose of identifying crime before it happens and hopefully sending law enforcement officers to assess the situation in time. More and more surveillance cameras are being produced every day and the data collected by these devices has increased every year from 2,000 petabytes in 2018 to around 2,500 petabytes in 2019. To put this into perspective, 567 petabytes of data is equivalent to all current Netflix users which broadcast 1.2 hours of ultra-high definition content simultaneously. Now, some may wonder how this corresponds to the incessant amount of hidden cameras and microphones depicted in Orwell's 1984. If cameras prevent crime, then what's the problem? Well, the problem occurs when cameras are used more to monitor people than to help them. In the novel our two protagonists cannot even converse without being spied on by members of the Big Brother group, unless they are where microphones cannot be placed. “YES. Look at the trees. There's nothing big enough to hide a microphone in. Besides, I've been here before” (Orwell 119). Our two characters weren't doing anything legally wrong by today's standards, but they still had need to keep simple conversations secret because they did not fit the party process or plan to control their people to have absolute power over them “We are not interested in the good of others; we are interested exclusively in power” (Orwell 263) Posted atop the Ministry of Truth, the slogan “Freedom is Slavery” is a simple reminder to all the inhabitants of Oceania that an independent man is one who is destined to fail. Make everyone believe it and you will get it next slogan: “Ignorance is strength.” This could also be read as “Your ignorance is our strength,” as in, if the party makes everyone ignore the fact that they are working as government slaves, then l efficiency in creating this social structure for whichthey are struggling increases. . The third and final slogan, “War is Peace,” means that although Oceania constantly goes through war situations and everyone acts as if there is peace everywhere, the party could instantly change people's emotional state at will. In summary, the party uses these slogans to maintain constant and absolute power over its people and if the American government started using a similar tactic to keep everyone under control, then the surveillance cameras you see on the streets would serve to prevent people to act against the government and Orwell's ideas the prophecies would be one step closer to becoming reality. Millions of Americans today are terrified that someone might be watching them through the cameras on their phones and computers. Whether it's a hacker or the CIA, no one wants unwanted eyes snooping through their personal devices. When former FBI Director James Comey was asked whether or not he covered his computer webcam with duct tape, he responded, "Hell yeah, hell yeah. Besides, I get teased about a lot of things, and I am very much for this, but I hope that people lock their cars... lock their doors at night. I have an alarm system, if you have an alarm system you should use it, I use mine 'FBI is afraid of people watching it through its camera, why shouldn't we be too? So, who could be watching us through our personal devices? Well, government security agencies like the NSA could have access to your devices via backdoor integrated This means they can read your messages, tune in to your phone calls, and take a photo of you whenever they want. Hackers also pose a big threat to your personal device via apps and multimedia messages. Therefore, it is not such an unimaginable thing to have someone watching you through your phone or laptop while being completely unaware of the situation. The way this relates to the novel is that no one really knows if they are being listened to or watched. This is realized when O'brien confronts Whinston about the diary. “Remember, writing in your diary, freedom is the freedom to say that two plus two equals four?” (Orwell 249). Winston was aware of the dangers of keeping a diary, but if he had known the party was watching him he wouldn't have had it in the first place. The uncertainty of absolute privacy is also shown when a steely voice repeats after Winston and Julia as they spoke in Charrington's room. “You are the dead, said an iron voice behind them” (Orwell 221). This is when a painting was knocked off the wall in their room, revealing a telescreen with Big Brother's face. They had no idea that there had been microphones and cameras in the room the entire time. Unfortunately, the novel offers no easy critique or escape from this whole situation because it ended with their capture. However, it tells you that there would always be people who would not accept the lack of privacy if the government decided to start wiring private places with microphones. All in all, the idea of ​​our privacy being violated through our personal devices isn't too far-fetched. If the government wanted, they could keep an eye on you in your home, just like in 1984. Spies, NOC spies, personal government espionage, these are the guys who walk around looking like businessmen, waiters, factory workers construction workers and even store clerks when in reality, they are trying to gather confidential information. These are also the guys who scare the hell out of people who think the government is always watching. It is a known fact that the government uses spies to gather information and data on 1984.