Is Big Brother watching us?

Dear Propeller Heads: My cell phone gives me a weather report in every zip code I travel. Everywhere I go now, I see cameras at stop lights, cameras in parking lots, in drive-through lanes at the bank. Is "Big Brother" watching my every move, am I just paranoid, and do I have a reason to be?

A: There's an easy explanation for your cell phone. It knows where you are even if you don't because it has a built-in GPS (turn it off if you're worried).

But I'm with you on all the cameras. There are now cameras used by law enforcement that can capture an image of your car as you do something wrong and at the same time obtain your license plate so a ticket can be mailed to you.

Have you heard of the new security measure on some laptops? Your eye's iris is scanned to unlock it; no more worries about remembering a password. But where is that scan being stored? Can't pretty much any stored data be hacked? I can imagine the title of a new murder mystery: The Mystery of the Stolen Iris, and I'm not talking flowers! Actually, the movie "Minority Report" already used that idea years ago. Tom Cruise's iris is scanned when he enters the Gap, and he is welcomed by a holographic clerk who says, "Good morning, Mr. Yakimoto, welcome to the Gap."

I do feel we have reason for at least a bit of concern. Big Brother may not be watching us yet, but how long before he will be? So much of our life is captured digitally now; from medical records, to our purchasing habits, to the very homes we live in. If you don't believe me, go to Google Street Views at http://bit.ly/hW2AWx and enter your street address, and a picture of some part of your house will likely show up unless you live in the middle of nowhere. Doesn't that seem a little 1984-ish?

So should we be worried about all this tracking and surveillance? At least a little bit! Worry enough to maintain reasonable privacy settings on all social media sites you visit. Make sure to log off any computer you use that is used by others. Password protect your smart phone. Be responsible for watching out for yourself to limit what others may see about you. For more information on protecting your privacy, go to www.ftc.gov/privacy.

The technology that could enable the sort of absolute control over our lives that is illustrated in novels like "1984" and "Brave New World" exists, but our world will have to change a lot for that to happen. For now, all of our digital information is too scattered and disorganized to be of much use to tyrannical or criminal organization. But as Aldous Huxley remarked in "Brave New World," "What man has joined, nature is powerless to put asunder." For the time being, various privacy laws and watchdog agencies protect us from Big Brother. But who knows what the future will hold?

When the PropellerHeads at Data Directions aren't busy with their IT projects, they love to answer questions on business or consumer technology. E-mail them to [email protected] or contact us at Data Directions Inc., 8510 Bell Creek Road, Mechanicsville, VA 23116. Visit our website at www.askthepropellerheads.com.