Future Predictions (part 2/2)

I think that wifi is here to stay, and I also think at-home monitoring is also here to stay, whether we like it or not. My prediction is that wifi will soon be something you don't have the option to turn off. Google has already been offering free wifi hotspots in several places around the world, and the area of coverage will no doubt continue to grow. Why would Google do this? It's simple—the more people they gather onto their service, the more they can monitor and sell that information to advertisers, research groups, the government, etc. Information is a commodity, especially specific info gathered about each of us. With all the devices we use in our daily life that are now connected to the internet, it will be nearly impossible to avoid being monitored. Many of us are already ok with this—it seems innocent enough--why should I be concerned with advertisers knowing my habits? But it's much more than that, as we've already seen through lawsuits leveled at Google about their culture of hostility and oppressive behavior towards conservatives. Whatever side of the political spectrum you consider yourself, it should be a concern that free speech is under attack by powerful organizations like Google. And consider that our own government now has a proven trail of monitoring private citizens to advance its own agenda—whatever political party is in power, this kind of abuse of power is unacceptable. Our present and our future: Your private conversations at home are being logged by some “smart” device and reviewed by AI programs that flag certain words. This information may be used against you someday by an administration that feels threatened by any dissent, ready to pounce on anyone that uses “hate speech,” which can simply be saying something they disagree with. Sometimes I wonder if George Orwell's “1984” is being used as a guide.