The number one definition of freedom is, according to the definition:
free·dom ( P ) Pronunciation Key (frdm)
n.
1. The condition of being free of restraints.
If you are watched, you are restrained by the knowledge that you are watched, unless you have some psychiatric condition that renders you immune to the effects of being watched by others. We all know that people behave differently when under surveillance (and there is so much data on this because of its corporate value, that I can find you citations if you want them). That is why stores post signs that say you are being watched in the dressing room (and for legal reasons). People tend to steal less when they know they are being watched. People change their behavior. They probably pick their noses less, and refrain from scratching more personal parts of their anatomy- in other words, being watched changes you.
Being watched constantly by the government, as we pursue our lives, changes us as well. I'm sure people would curtail their use of certain books at the library, quit uttering certain words, quit discussing certain subjects. Since I learned about carnivore I worry about searching for certain topics on the internet, so yes, I KNOW that my liberty has been affected. I am not as free as I was. A watched person is on an invisible leash, and yet, if they know the leash is there, they will react to it. It is not freedom. |
