The View | The arrival of Big Data means 1984’s Big Brother’s already here

“Power is not a means; it is an end.”

This guiding principle drove the superstate in George Orwell’s iconic novel, 1984. Power was held exclusively by an inner elite who persecuted individualism as a thought crime.

Never in history have we lived in a world where personal freedom is so prevalent. Yes, benevolent and malevolent governments still restrict individual behaviour, but much of humankind lives today in an historically liberal time that takes pride in equality of opportunity, fairness, and justice. But for how long?

The futuristic EPCOT Disney theme park in Florida is educational with technology as its theme. When it opened 34 years ago, the interconnectivity of today’s world, where packages are delivered by drone (some lethal), could never have been imagined.

Before you arrive at EPCOT, you receive a wristband, called a MagicBand, which embeds a chip that “effortlessly” unlocks your hotel room, allows you to enter the right park, ride the attractions, and to pays for food and souvenirs. The chip traces back to your mobile number and fingerprints.