Summary:

We need to be clear that surveillance of the human race is not part of living in a equal and free world and one that offers integrity for the human spirit.

We consider the pro's and con's of ever increasing surveillance - and ask where will it end - as our private thoughts could soon be targeted.

Who’s thoughts are they anyway?

The time old problem of privacy versus security.  Historically every ‘power base’ has attempted to increase their surveillance of its subjects.  This is not new.  What is new is the latest technology and the ever increasing sophistication of this eavesdropping.

We all thought that Orwell’s 1984 had spelt out the worst possible world of surveillance and political control.  However, we can now see he was wrong and the future holds the truly awful prospect of our thoughts being spied upon directly - no point in 'doublethink' - it will all be logged anyway.

Relatively soon, the technology will be available to spy on our thoughts.  Already there have been experiments that (using an embedded probe) scientists can tell what you are thinking about and what actions you are considering making.  This technology is set to grow quickly as it enables injured people to regain the use of their limbs and communicate using just their thoughts.  In the future it will allow us to control all sorts of physical processes and communicate by thought alone. Our minds will be an extension of the future internet. Science fiction (Ian M Banks et al) know it as a Neural Net - a system implanted and linking with our nervous processes.

Interestingly, the current UK government is proposing something just as bad.  These power people wish to spy on all of our internet use.  Now, CST believes that this is EXACTLY the same as proposing to spy directly on our thoughts.  Why do we make this statement? 

Thinking people will see that it is only the technology that changes between spying on our internet intimacy and the spying on the intimacy of our thoughts.   If these (irresponsible) power seekers proposed today to spy on our thoughts, there would be such a hue and cry that it would shake the very foundations of our society. But, in future, as the technology advances, that's exactly what they shall be doing!

We need to make sure that this erosion of our human rights, this constant leveraging of available technology by the ‘in power’ spies is outlawed once and for all. Perhaps this would be a good reason to have (within the UK) a written constitution, and one that stated clearly that whatever the latest fad or cause on such things as ‘terrorism’, war et al would not be used to create these powers.

The powers that be, will go to any lengths to subject its people to their will.  Give a relatively benign Power Structure the use of new technology and how quickly do you think we shall see it misused by a less benign Power base? Think historically of Henry’s dissolution, the Papal inquisition, the Spain’s inquisition, Hitler’s holocaust, Stalin’s secret pogrom Putine's rule of law, and all other power struggles and general hegemony.

The argument that it is all done for the common good is not good enough – not unless you wish your thoughts to be opened up to scrutiny in the future - by the then ‘democratic or undemocratic’ power brokers.  FUD - fear, uncertainty and dread, is always used as a means for control - Orwell has said it all already.

It is silly to imagine that clever committed people who are fanatical at creating mayhem will be stopped by collecting data on ‘normal’ individuals.  These people will be clever enough to bypass any systems put in place to stop them.  The main reason we currently do not have ongoing major terrorist attacks within the UK is that the people who would probably like to do this are not sufficiently techno savvy or organised.  In future they are likely to become so.  This begs the question of what our society should be doing to avoid this Armageddon.  If we enter a technical arms race with these people we are likely to get burnt eventually.  Two world wars show what we can do using modern technology. Perhaps changing our views of the world and trying to make it more equal would be a good place to start?

We all need to be clear that this new internet spying is a step too far.  CST says: Find a better solution.

See campaign:
https://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/say-no-to-internet-spying-by-the-government/manage

New Technologies are coming:
http://www.commonsensethinking.co.uk/disconnect.html