1984, a novel by George Orwell, depicts a dystopian society in which the people of Oceania are watched almost all the time by the government and have no freedom. Today, citizens of the United States and other countries are observed similarly. Despite different technological and personal ways of policing society compared to 1984, today's government is also capable of monitoring most aspects of people's lives. 1984 may be a dystopian society, but the condition today seems to be moving towards a state of control, where citizens are surveilled by the government at all times. The community of 1984 provided many ways to surveil its citizens, one of which is The Thought Police The Thought Police were undercover agents who hid among the common citizens and could be found at any time or place to monitor people for thought crimes against the party. The problem was that “some members of the Thought Police were always moving among themselves, spreading false rumors and branding and eliminating the few individuals who were judged capable of being dangerous” (Orwell 62). The people of Oceania knew that the Thought Police were always around, but they could never know which individual or individuals were actually one of them. This led them to suspect everyone and focus on not committing any violations. Along with telescreens, “you had to live – you lived by the habitat that became instinct – on the assumption that every sound you made was heard and, except in the dark, every movement examined” (Orwell 6). While not all citizens can be observed at all times, they never know exactly when they are being observed. Therefore, forcing most of them to always follow the rules, especially when every... middle of paper... willing to sacrifice our freedoms just because we are too lazy to make ourselves aware and too submissive to take a stand. . If we continue like this we could end up with the same freedom and privacy as all citizens of 1984. Works CitedBrown, Michael. "IP cameras keep watch." PC World 30.10 (2012): 42. MAS Ultra-School Edition. Network. December 4, 2013. Calamur, Krishnadev. “5 Things to Know About NSA Surveillance Activities.” NPR.NPR and Web. December 04, 2013Dwyer, Jim. “Undercover police, pretty much everywhere.” Undercover police, practically everywhere. Nytimes.com, October 10, 2013. Web. December 5, 2013. Gorman, Siobhan, and Jennifer Valentino-Deveries. “New details show broader scope of NSA surveillance.” The Wall Street Journal. Np, 20 August 2013. Web. 4 December 2013. Orwell, George. 1984: a novel. New York, NY: Published by Signet Classic, 1977. Print.