Over the last century surveillance and control has slowly crept into out lives. Never before has the government had so much power
I do agree that wire tapping is an important escalation and that authoritarianism becomes more effective the more you can spy on people.
But “it all started with” can imply causation, and i don’t think we can blame surveillance tech for the boiling pot of authoritarianism.
Nothing as big as a global trend can be mono-casual. I suspect that big things like resource scarcity/bounty, social inequality, aggregate stress levels in society, etc are also important in turning up the heat on that pot.
We can agree that tech gave more power to people they used it to be more authorial. That said when they don’t need worker anymore are we going to be allowed to exist?
People aren’t aware but authoritarianism started in the US in the post War era. When the CIA overthrew democratically elected governments in Guatemala and Iran. They’ve basically been refusing to compromise with communism or even any acknowledgement of workers rights since then.
Also, I would contest this:
Never before has the government had so much power.
I feel that the legitimacy of governments is collapsing and power is going to corporations, in a hurry.
In other words, we got so busy worrying about direct government spying we let a handful of corporations completely take over the information sphere, instead.
We get a Cyberpunk dystopia but without the cool full sensor cyberspace and the chrome body augmentations. Damn!
Those who choose security over liberty shall enjoy neither.
Very true.
this was stuff I was sending my senators every time the reauth was up for a vote.