Author(s): John Gibb

Politics

In this present age of sophisticated technology, governments and their agencies have the capabilities to track citizens not only on the street (CCTV surveillance equipment is everywhere) but also in the 'privacy' of our homes (we leave a footprint whenever we use the Internet). Governments maintain this level of interference is for our own safety but many worry that the meance of 'Big Brother' as depicted by George Orwell is fast becoming reality. This book analyses the fragmentation of civil liberties in the 'Free West.' Today, US and British Governments allow imprisonment without trial and chip away at basic freedoms like trial by jury, the right to remain silent and the right to be judged solely on the evidence. The state is tightening its grip on us by watching and recording what we do because they know they can get away with it and because knowledge is power. The book is split into 11 chapters. Among the key topics covered are the prevalence of CCTV - if you work in London or any other major city in the UK you will be filmed by the State at least 300 times every day - the myriad state intelligence gathering agencies (the US alone has 41 registered), the credit rating agencies and their record of all your financial transactions, and satellite surveillance.