Peeping Tom looks into Wycombe homes (From Bucks Free Press)

Peeping Tom looks into Wycombe homes

7:30pm Tuesday 12th June 2012 in Your Say By ivor

As years have gone by not only have computers become ever more powerful in terms of their speed but they have also exerted more power over our everyday lives.

Back in the good old days I can still remember switching on the radio and having to wait until the valves inside warmed up or when there was a test card on the television all day until the early evening.

We may not have had so many whizzy gadgets back then but we were free to go where we wanted without fear of being followed.

Then came the ghastly CCTV which keeps its beady electronic eyes over us.

The biggest drawback with the newfangled internet is the lack of privacy and the way the technology intrudes ever further into our everyday lives.

Coupled with the rise of search engines and large databases in some cases the internet knows more about us than we do ourselves.

I though it was bad enough when search engines started distributing aerial pictures of our towns and homes, that was swiftly followed with cars travelling our streets to give us a so called street view.

Now it seems the computer companies want to know even more about us and according to an article on a national news site it seems military grade satellite cameras will soon be employed to take high resolution images of our towns and homes.

Capable of resolving objects a few inches across these satellites will even be able to see into houses through windows especially if residents have converted their lofts and installed skylights.

The plans are no more than an electronic peeping Tom looking into everyone’s home.

If I were to go around Wycombe with a pair of binoculars looking in peoples windows no doubt the boys in blue would soon be on my trail yet these internet people can do a similar thing without anyone batting an eyelid.

What next? Will the newfangled peeping Toms be poking camera though our letterboxes or maybe we will be forced to have a cameraman come into our houses to take pictures?

The powers that be even plan to install smart electric meters that will send our usage figures back to their headquarters so they can analyse exactly how much electric we are using and when we used it.

Quite honestly I fear the rush to use modern technology has gone ahead without any though to our privacy whatsoever.

Only this evening it is being reported that investigations are being re-opened into a leading search engine on the way they collected data when their cars passed by out homes.

Why do we need high resolution images taken through people windows?

Why do people need to know everything I do in great detail?

Given the chance I would willingly opt out of the modern world and return to a life where valves, leaded petrol, proper paper and handwriting were the norm.

What do you think?

LINK Apple 'spy planes' to film homes from the air: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/apple/9323388/Apple-spy-planes-to-film-homes-from-the-air.html .

LINK Government plans to install smart meters in our homes 'will leave us open to cyber attack': http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2156648/Government-plans-install-smart-meters-homes-leave-open-cyber-attack.html .

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