PAT Kane again covers the pending uses of a drone (The big question around drones is what problem we want them to solve, Aug 17). Apart from the horrific role of dropping bombs in a warzone, surveillance seems their main use, for the moment. Eighty years ago, George Orwell warned us “Big Brother is watching you”.
Last week, without warning, three men plus a digger appeared at the gate and dug a trench across the entrances to this group of houses. On enquiring, I was told they were laying a cable which, if connected to the house, would make broadband 40 times faster than the present system.
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In future, might a drone drop off your groceries on the doorstep or deliver your
latest purchase from an online salesman’s advert you’d spotted on the laptop? Could it report you leaving the front door?
Orwell had a point: Big Brother is casting his eye over modern society. Who is this chap? Is he aiming to reshape its wealth and power? Don’t dare ask.
Iain R Thomson
Strathglass
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