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Originally Posted by AntEater
Seems the brits are way ahead of us in this one. It always amazes me how the very country that invented civil liberties is so hell bent on abolishing them.
CCTV in Germany is (sofar) limited to busy downtown metro stations and some squares.
The constitutional court has recently made some quite interesting decisions on public surveilance which should at least slow down the increase.
Generally, regardless of country, sometimes I ask myself:
Who's actually in favor of all this? I've never seen anyone either in real life nor in any kind of internet discussion who actually favored data mining, surveilance and all that.
Yet these measures increase year by year, despite being opposed by practically every educated citizen in every nation in question.
Of course there are the "tabloid reading uneducated masses", but these people are mostly indifferent and if you bother to ask them they're mostly opposed as well, regardless of what the tabloids tell them.
Who's the driving force behind this? The industry? Older generation politicians who can't handle progress? Is it preparation for a totalitarian society? I doubt it since today's politicians can't think long term.
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I recommend to read
Machiavelli: Discorsi, 1st book, chapter 2: "How many types of states there are, and to which the Roman state belongs" Reading that short chapter immediately reminded me of the questions you ask, and the way in which I see America having turned into a plutocracy, and Europe turning into an oligarchy, and all history of states and societies always seem to move in cycles.
I recommend the whole book in fact. I started to read it two weeks ago (already having red an in-depth biography about him longer time ago): a real eye-opener. Cannot understand that sinister reputation around the figure of Machiavelli. The guy was a reasonable thinker and an unerring observer - necessarily he comes to other conclusions by that than wishful dreamer and hopeful idealists. That's all sinistre about him. Admitted, realism sometimes leads you to tough conclusions, and that often is already too much for many. But that is their problem - not Machiavellis.