When Orwell wrote his novel Nineteen Eighty-Four in 1949, he predicted a society under nearly contant surveillance. He would have been horrified to learn how far short of the mark his predictions have fallen.

Winston Smith, the main character in the novel, only had to hide from the “telescreens” in his living room, office, and peppered around the city. Sure, our surveillance state has surveillance cameras nearly everywhere it can install one—including the police officers themselves— but consider these surveillance tools:

• Homeowners are willingly (possibly unknowingly) adding to these camera networks.
• Face recognition software helps the camera networks identify everyone they see.
• Cell-site simulators pinpoint our locations via our cell phones, wherever we go.
• License plate readers track where we drive.
• Surveillance drones help fill in the gaps.
• Orwell did not foresee the internet, but now everything we read, buy, and do online is recorded and aggregated.
• But of all the obtrusive, overreaching, creepy surveillance tools that we live under, the fact that would likely surprise Orwell most is that people eagerly plant these spy devices in their own homes! What are they thinking?

At this point it is impossible for a majority of Americans to go anywhere within a city block without being recorded on multiple devices—all under the guise of “protecting our freedom.” It's a false tradeoff, 1984 has never been more apropos.