The unfreedom of the open road

George Orwell really had no idea, although to be fair he couldn't have envisaged the technological 'advances' that have rendered a full surveillance society possible. We now live in a society where CCTV is ubiquitous, DNA sampling is commonplace, and car licence plates can be read by cameras in milliseconds. A recent article in The Guardian's Online supplement, "Caught on Camera", reported on the use of plate scanning technology to "tackle terrorism and fight crime":

"The automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) technology uses cameras to instantly scan vehicle number plates and matches them against information stored on police databases to identify stolen vehicles or individuals involved in crime. [...] The systems are typically able to monitor up to 3,000 number plates per hour on vehicles travelling up to 100mph."

Worried? Here's some reassurance from a friendly copper:

"It can be perceived as a bit Big Brother-ish," admits Detective Inspector Wills. "But if your car is taxed and insured and not being used for criminal purposes, you have everything to gain from this technology. We only use it to target the people we are interested in."

So that's all right then. Perish the thought that the cops might be "interested" in you, O law-abiding citizen. For those with rather less faith in the State, the prospect of the State knowing where you are at any time is spine-chilling. But hey, as cops always say, if you've nothing to hide, you've nothing to fear.

Of course any crims and terrorists worthy of the name will be already sorted for fake number plates, just the same as they'll have least to fear from ID cards. Perhaps ANPR will catch a few joyriders who nick cars opportunistically, but it's hard to believe cops would spend £15 million just to pick up the odd boy racer. No, the people this technology is aimed at are Jane and Joe Public, you and I. So watch where you go, sir.

I don't think I'll be taking my motor down the carwash in the near future...