Orwell’s ‘1984’ has arrived

The FBI wants back doors to all communications equipment and software. The NSA is grabbing trillions of phone records of American citizens. And reporters’ research apparently is a subject of interest at the Department of Justice.

All of this and more has triggered a surge of renewed interest in a recent video by Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., in which he declares that “1984,” the George Orwell novel about ultimate government disinformation, manipulation and control – is here.

“Dystopian novels were just that, bad utopias,” he said, “but not practically possible. One could always sigh in relief that such surveillance, such invasion of privacy, was not technologically possible.

“Until now.

“Now we have the technology. Drones that measure less than an inch, weigh less than an ounce and hover noiselessly outside your bedroom window are not a dystopian future but today’s reality,” he said.

“The individual who feared ’1984′ when it was written in 1949 need now shout from the top of his or her lungs, for technology had made the unthinkable, thinkable,” said Paul.

What are the recent developments that prompted the interest?

The National Journal raised questions over confirmation that Verizon, which has more than 100 million Americans as customers, secretly has been handing over documentation of its telephone calls to the National Security Agency.

“Calibrating the appropriate level of outrage will probably occupy us for most of the day,” the report said.

WND reported that the FBI wants changes made in industry requirements so that the agency would possess a back door to all communications software and hardware.

Read more here.