In the classic novel 1984, Orwell depicts the horrors of man’s fate in a society where Big Brother is always watching — where everything that is not prohibited is compulsory. The main character, Wilson, is a rebel who refuses to succumb to the society in which he lives. However, he is captured by the Thought Police and brainwashed to believe in the totalitarian state. At the end, he comes to love Big Brother. Orwell’s cautionary tale, written in 1948, describes his fears of an intrusively bureaucratized state of the future.

Whether people know his philosophies or not, the point Orwell makes is clear — humanity can not survive in a society where government is in control of everything, even one’s innermost thoughts.

With cameras now monitoring many stores, private homes and schools, Orwell’s tale is becoming a reality.

An article posted on WorldNetDaily in January of 2003 features several findings from the American Civil Liberties Union. The report was published in a book entitled Bigger Monster, Weaker Chains: The Growth of an American Surveillance System. “Many people still do not grasp that Big Brother surveillance is no longer the stuff of books and movies,” said Barry Steinhardt, co-author of the ACLU report. “Given the capabilities of today’s technology, the only thing(s) protecting us from a full-fledged surveillance society are the legal and political institutions we have inherited as Americans. Unfortunately, the Sept. 11 attacks have led some to embrace the fallacy that weakening the Constitution will strengthen America.”

In recent years, there has been an explosion in surveillance technology with more sensors, databases and wireless networks. Internet activities can be recorded with every click of the mouse. Medical privacy has all but collapsed. On what used to be ordinary public streets, there are surveillance cameras. The events of Sept. 11 enabled Congress to pass a revision of surveillance laws that increased the government’s authority to watch the activities of citizens. However tragic that day was, it should not be the excuse for taking away the people’s right to privacy.

Cameras on school grounds will be beneficial in some aspects. Cameras will help solve, and discourage, such problems as theft and fights. But it still feels invasive to be monitored at school.

The public, including students, needs to heed Orwell’s warning. The government should not rob the average, law-abiding citizen of privacy. There should be limits on what the government, places of employment or schools can do. Places such as bathrooms and locker rooms, where personal privacy is expected, should not be monitored by Big Brother. In the future, if surveillance expands on campus, students have to let their limits be known.

As 1984 claims in chapter one, “Big Brother is watching you.”