A reminder

1984 is a cautionary tale, not a blueprint. Come on people! [Link]

Historic Lancaster, PA is about to become the most surveilled town in America (though they've got nothing on London, where we have 14 cameras per red blood cell and yet still, this unmanageably gigantic mountain of meaningless video surveillance hasn't magically made all the criminals turn honest).

Some 165 closed-circuit TV cameras soon will provide live, round-the-clock scrutiny of nearly every street, park and other public space used by the 55,000 residents and the town's many tourists. That's more outdoor cameras than are used by many major cities, including San Francisco and Boston.

Unlike anywhere else, cash-strapped Lancaster outsourced its surveillance to a private nonprofit group that hires civilians to tilt, pan and zoom the cameras -- and to call police if they spot suspicious activity. No government agency is directly involved...