I heard this statement on the news tonight in a story about information that our smart vehicles are collecting about us. This data can be obtained by law enforcement agencies with a subpoena. It also may be sold by those who collect it. That may be the car company or a third party.

I had not thought about this. Your location at any time, calls you make including recordings, or even conversations in your vehicle are some of the things that you don’t know others have access to.

My wife and I have commented about product ads that we discussed popping up on Google. We have smart TVs and a smart vehicle. Where else may we be that someone is listening in or watching us. We do not have the devices many use to play music or answer questions on command.

The statement “technology is ahead of the law” did not surprise me. I have known it for years. Every new technological breakthrough has been used in ways that the government eventually restricts.

Manufacturers have been forced to make workplaces safer. Children have been taken out of the U.S. workforce many years ago. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration was created to protect workers years after manufacturers failed to provide safe working conditions.

When telegraphs, railroads, automobiles, airplanes, and many other devices became widespread it took years for laws to be ratified controlling their use to protect the public. We still have problems with internet companies and Congress can’t seem to decide on what needs to be done.

If you are under thirty years old, you probably haven’t seen this fact of life. The government is always behind on everything. They promise us everything when they are campaigning and after forty or fifty years in office they retire and have not fulfilled half of their promises.

The talking head who made this statement must not have much experience. He probably still believes in the Tooth Fairy, the Easter Bunny, and Santa Claus. We need to realize that Big Brother is not just a reality TV show. We are being watched and listened to when we don’t expect it. That is today’s reality. Welcome to the future.

Copyright 2024 by Charles (Chuck) Kensinger