to track and control

  I read an interesting piece about a new program in Australia. Now I know little about their government and their constitution. I know they have a Queen, Elizabeth II but also they have a Governor-General and a parliament. Well whatever the case is I was reading about their new system to monitor criminals on house arrest. I guess that is what you would call it, it's the same thing as having to wear an ankle bracelet. Yeah, it's a sorta, honor system. But in this program the criminal has to have a smart phone. When they are on home detention they can be called, at random times, and have fifteen minutes to answer. Then they have to take a picture of themselves in the place they are supposed to be, ie: their home. That phone is also linked to geo-tracking so the government can monitor where they go. The article didn't explain what happens when the internet goes out or cell phone phone service is interrupted. 

 The main point of the article was concerned with the governments ability to track those folks though. The concern being, if they can track those folks, they can conceivably track you. Perhaps they already are. Big brother is not only watching but perhaps tracking your movements as well. Of course we are all aware, or should be anyway, that a great deal of that is already going on right here in America. It's under the auspices of marketing and market research. That data being sold to anyone willing to pay for it. I'm quite certain the government has complete access to all of it. If you are, plugged in, like I am, and most of America I'm thinking not much is secret anymore. It would be quite difficult to not be connected in some fashion today. Not impossible, but challenging. I know my mother was constantly being challenged because she had no e-mail, no atm card, no online banking and no smart phone. She had a basic flip phone which she rarely used. She wasn't completely disconnected, but close to it.

 Yes we are in the information age. A great deal of that information is about you! Think about that for just a few minutes. Those with the knowledge and computer skills can mine the internet for information about you if they so desire. It wouldn't even be that difficult if you are on social media of any type. Computers already control a great deal of our lives. Let the computer foul up and you no longer have access to your funds unless you are keeping them in a piggy bank. Your internet connection, your television, and if you have a new car, can all be disabled remotely. Yup, those smart devices are pretty smart alright. How many do you have? The ring doorbell, and others, have the ability to "see" who is coming and going. Smart thermostats? Will the government dictate room temperatures? It's possible. Even door locks are "smart" these days. What you have to remember is, as smart as those devices are the person designing them are a bit smarter. 

 I do think we have to be careful about technology. Technology should be used to serve man, not enslave man. We are already seeing detrimental effects from the use of technology in a social setting. When tech begins to replace human interaction. People are not the same online as they are in person. It is easy to be bold, crude, and otherwise antisocial while sitting behind a screen. There are those that delight in causing trouble. I hear a lot about "misinformation" these days. All information is information, misinformation is a code word for not saying what I want you to say. Really just a polite way of saying, you are lying! Thing is, when proven to be true you can always just say, sorry, I thought it was wrong. It is for that reason we must allow people to speak freely, even when we think they are wrong. That is what free speech is really all about. Free speech isn't a tool to impose your views on anyone, free speech is a tool to disseminate ideas. Are we going to allow technology to silence us? Facebook and others are already doing that if you think about it. Technology to track and control?