It was the police patrol, snooping into people's windows" (Orwell 2). The helicopter, a symbol for the government's police force, could easily snoop through the phones of Americans, just like they did in the windows of the people of Oceania. All things considered, although Apple denied the FBI access to the iPhone their request shows that the government is attempting to extend their reach over individuals' rights, opening a door into citizens living in consent fear, just like Winston and the people of Oceania.
Furthermore, the threat to American privacy is the current surveillance that Americans are unaware of. Many Americans have no idea their privacy is invaded on a daily basis. The Maryland Transit Administration admits that 487 of their 771 public buses hold cameras that are continuously recording video and sound of passengers. Their cameras are justified as an investigative tool to help prosecute crimes and monitor the drivers and the quality of customer service. However, Jay Stanley, of the American Civil Liberties Union, contends that "the ability of the government to listen in on conversations is more intrusive than simply being captured on video in banks and stores. It represents another step in spying on citizens who already are being recorded by police-worn body cameras, and whose cell phones can be tracked and auto license plates scanned and searched" (Breitenbach). This recording system is comparable to Orwell's "telescreens." These telescreens were known to have the ability to watch and listen to every citizen of Oceania and "could be dimmed, but there was no way of ever turning them off" (Orwell 2). There are individuals that have no other option of transportation than public transit. Constant surveillance of their conversations over the phone or to the person beside them while on a public bus is similar to Orwell's telescreen. They have no way of controlling what is recorded, so their only other option is to avoid saying what they do not want heard.
