Constitutional Law
Big Brother’s View Expands in UK
Posted Oct 10, 2008, 12:26 pm CST
By Martha Neil
George Orwell was right, at least as far as residents in metropolitan areas of the United Kingdom are concerned: Big Brother is watching.
Surveillance cameras are seeking not only to spot terrorists but to see whether dog-walkers are properly picking up after their pets, reports Bloomberg.
A London Times article notes that new digital roadside cameras are planned that will make it virtually impossible for speeding drivers to avoid the eagle eye of the law. (At present, wily motorists can exit between a two-camera system and avoid a ticket.)
And Big Brother isn't only watching; just as in Orwell's famous future-predicting 1949 book, 1984, he's also unexpectedly telling residents of Great Britain what to do, an earlier ABAJournal.com post notes. When unsuspecting pedestrians near a McDonald's restaurant Gloucester drop trash, for instance, an authoritative voice may well startle them by booming out "Pick it up!"
The country reportedly has the most extensive network of closed-circuit surveillance cameras in the world.