The Second Commandment

Lesson Two.

Big Brother is Watching.

In the modern world, technology has made most, if not all, information available at your fingertips. The government knows this, but so does everyone else. Cellphone signals can be picked up, email and interweb chats can be copied, and people will even dig in the trash and recycling to find whatever information they can. The use of the Web has made things even easier than it used to be.

The most common practice of getting what you want when you can't pay for it is stealing someone else's identity. This is not a very hard practice. Find a poor soul who isn't smart enough to realize that the poor prince from Nigeria really is a drug addict in a basement in Des Moines, and convince him or her to send money. "All I need is a credit card/social security number/bank account." Whatever works.

If you apply for a job, the company will most likely do a background check that will include the FBI (are you a felon?), and possibly a Google search.

There is so much information about you out there, and the more you add, the easier it is to find you.

Of course, there are the simpler ways to track:
There are cameras everywhere.
The cable and satellite companies can track what channels you're watching and make "suggestions."
Banks keep track of your purchases and can call you if they "suspect" something.
Your computer gets updates to help it run better.

And yet, Comrade, I always remember what Mama Orwell always said:
"If you can see the Empire State Building...The Empire State Building can see you."

We are a voyeuristic society that enjoys peeking on everyone, yet we don't want someone else looking in on us.

If you want total anonymity, you have to go off the grid. This means no phones, no computers, no bank cards.
You work in cash, you store the money under the mattress, and you contact others by only face to face contact. That's how avoid Big Brother....
Or you call the phone company and ask if the government is paying its bills, and if they aren't you remove the wiretaps until they pay up. I mean $60,000 bills that aren't paid? And you're going to hound me on a $30 parking ticket? That's blasphemy, Comrade.

Be safe and careful. Don't be stupid and post pictures of yourself doing illegal activities, because someone will know.
Don't make threats over the phone, as someone is listening. Don't believe me? Look up The Conversation.

And if you must be watched, be boring. Because, Comrades, if you're life is boring, no one will want to watch...and that's when you can do fun things.

Here endeth the lesson.