Surveillance in the Home

Sometimes I write creepy stuff. And sometimes reality is even creepier. So it was with great interest that I read this article in the Daily Express, which was brought to my attention by the ever-vigilant (and wildly talented) Mark Marshall. Thanks Mark.Apparently the UK, in keeping with its dogged commitment to sleepwalk into a surveillance state, has decided to put "problem families" under 24 hour surveillance by installing cameras IN THEIR HOMES.Yes, I said IN THEIR HOMES.All caps, because, seriously? Wow. That's bold. I mean there's creepy spy-happy overreach (as per the Bush admin, for example) and then there's the British government. When they want to get Orwellian, they don't mess around.So here's the deal. The families in question will be "monitored to ensure that children attend school, go to bed on time and eat proper meals. Private security guards will also be sent round to carry out home checks, while parents will be given help to combat drug and alcohol addiction."Not surprisingly, plenty of people are crying foul. But what interests me is the fact that the motivation for these measures is to protect children from bad parenting. After all, why should a child be punished for having the bad luck of being born to cruddy parents?Without giving too much away, this is what my third novel is all about. And while many people have discussed the dangers of surveillance and government overreach into private lives, I've always been much more interested in the ways in which surveillance and the erosion of privacy actually appeals to people.Because I think it does appeal to people. I think we love to watch each other, judge each other, rate and rank each other, kick each other off the island, and chastise each other for being bad parents. The whole concept of privacy is at war with some of our most basic desires as social beings.That's why, despite the objections of a great many people, I believe the UK government will succeed in its plan to place problem families under 24-hour surveillance. I think most people will argue that the benefits outweigh the liabilities. And this is how privacy will erode. Not by force, but rather with the full cooperation of the people under surveillance.Imagine what would happen if the government offered to reward people for good behavior. Imagine if you could whittle away at your tax bill by being a great parent while a government agency watched you. Do you think people would object on the grounds of privacy? Or would they sign up in droves and reap the rewards?I know what I think.