From: Damien Broderick (d.broderick@english.unimelb.edu.au)
Date: Fri Sep 01 2000 - 06:58:07 MDT
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/et?ac=001652968606417&rtmo=kNCxYCJp&atmo=99999999
&pg=/et/00/8/31/nfor531.html
ISSUE 1924 Thursday 31 August 2000
Orwellian nightmare or brave new world?
By Rachel Sylvester
MEG and Joe live in Brightlands, a secure estate protected by a siren which
sounds whenever outsiders try to cross the barbed wire perimeter. They were
lucky to pass the vetting procedure because Joe's tag, for a 10-year-old
conviction, was removed only a few months ago.
It is so unsafe to leave "walled" areas that they work from home, although
their computers are linked into the company network so their bosses can
tell exactly when they log on and off. Like all respectable citizens, Meg
and Joe have registered ID signatures which allow them to shop on the
internet, using "virtual booths" to try on clothes.
They carry personal radar devices, which warn them if an "unregistered"
individual is nearby. Their car has a government-installed breathalyser
which cuts off the engine automatically if the driver has had a drink. They
eat "chicken in a bottle", a new animal-friendly product which allows them
to grow their own meat at home from tissue culture. Perhaps not
surprisingly, they drink too much.
This is not a science fiction fantasy world, but the Government's own
description of how Britain could look in 2020. In the analysis of the
businessmen, academics and scientists on the Foresight panels, the internet
will have as dramatic an impact on society as the Industrial Revolution.
[etc]
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