As headlines scroll across about Google, Viacom, lawsuits, and privacy issues, many neo-conservatives are taking up the opportunity to raise their patriotic facades to plummet deeper into our private lives once again. “If you have nothing to hide … ” is the usual response when someone raises an objection or concern. That is, until a United States Supreme Court Justices movie rental habits were released …

When our current American president called for sweeping concessions of civil liberties after 9-11, the majority of the public eagerly supported what became the Patriot Act, without knowing the full extent of the law, its provisions, and far reaching capabilities into the most intricate details of an individual. Beyond bank accounts, telephone records, and travel itineraries, the busy, bushy spooks even wanted to know what books you checked out of the library. After the tragedies of September 11, 2001, the president’s administration marketed McCarthyism style intrusions of privacy as modern day acts of patriotism.

While the recent court ruling that orders Google / YouTube to turn over search, user and history records to Viacom may seem mundane as part of a billion dollar lawsuit, where will the intrusions, speculations, profiling, and assumptions end? Will Google soon be asked by the courts to turn over usage information to employers too? What is Susie doing 100% of the time she is at work?

Mr. Orwell your party is waiting at the information counter, Mr. Orwell …