History Main / BigBrotherIsWatching

Yes, this is TruthInTelevision, but there is [[Administrivia/NoRealLifeExamplesPlease no need to go into specifics]]. Not only does surveillance exist in every country, but putting real life examples here is NoRealLife/TooControversial and perfect bait for a FlameWar, [[EvenEvilHasStandards which is quite]] [[AndThatsTerrible repulsive, really]]. All we ask is that you go about your life, secure in the knowledge that, no matter where you are, [[SelfDemonstratingArticle We Are Watching]]. But this can [[AnalogyBackfire also be interpreted]] to mean that there has to be a Big Brother in charge so as to take care of his little brothers. [[noreallife]]

** ''TabletopGame/DarkHeresy'': The Lords Dragon of the Lathe Worlds are a faction of the Calixian Mechanicus that have existed since before the Angevin Crusade brought the sector into the Imperium. Using archeotech, they've established a vast monitoring network called the Praecursator Grid, which allows them to spy upon numerous worlds via taps in cognitators and recording devices, watchful for any trace of tech-heresy. They actively foster a fearsome, paranoia-invoking reputation among the people of the Lathe Worlds, making them something of a counterpart to the Inquisition's Calixian Conclave (with all the JurisdictionFriction that that implies). Acolytes of the Adept, Assassin, Arbitrator and Tech-priest careers can become Agents of the Lords Dragon as an alternate rank, which allows them to gain limited access to the Praecursator Grid via the "All-Seeing Eye" talent.

* ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer 40000}}'''s Adeptus Arbites (think if ComicBook/JudgeDredd worked for Big Brother), as seen on the quotes page. ''And'' the [[ChurchMilitant Ecclesiarchy]], ever-vigilant for signs of heresy, and who'd like to remind you that [[GodEmperor The Emperor]] is watching. ''And'' the [[StateSec Inquisition]], though if you've caught ''their'' interest you're screwed. Even the Tau Empire gets in on this, to help them fit in with the setting.

* ''Series/ClassOf09'': In 2034 US citizens are more surveilled than ever by the AI system, and many are afraid to talk where they aren't watched as this could draw suspicion of wrongdoing. [[spoiler:This expands even further once Tayo's gets fired as FBI director and replaced, with his successor supporting the system zealously.]] Protests against this erupted in the early days, turning violent, with many also moving to rural areas with no surveillance so they could escape.

* Big Brother, who is still watching, from ''Literature/NineteenEightyFour'' is the TropeNamer. Big Brother is the symbolic head of state over a totalitarian superstate that engages in pervasive SinisterSurveillance. He may or may not exist (or have ever existed) as an actual person.

* Played with in Creator/LarryNiven's short story "Literature/CloakOfAnarchy". People in an "anarchy park" are allowed to do anything except direct violence against another person: if someone does ''that'', the ever-present hovering "copseyes" stun both the aggressor and the victim, knocking them unconscious. The "played with" part is that someone figures out a way to knock out the copseye network. [[spoiler:Turns out ''real'' anarchy is pretty unpleasant for everyone who isn't fairly strong physically and/or a sociopath.]]

* Played with in Creator/CharlesStross's ''Literature/HaltingState'' and its sequel ''Literature/{{Rule 34}}'', where cameras are omnipresent, but facial recognition technology is stated as being too processor-intensive to be useful in real time. However, your mobile phone can track your location anywhere it can get a signal, and makes a great listening bug if it is hacked. Also, the ''police'' are watched even more closely by Big Brother than any of the criminals are, being required to have cameras on their body running at all times to "Life Log" their time on duty for the official record.

* Norwegian Science Fiction short story ''Kodemus, or the computer tho thought what the heck'' has everyone equipped with small handy computers called "Little Brothers", who keeps track of time for them, advises them, sees to it that everything is on track. All of them are, of course, Connected to a Central computer. But in essence, it is the ''little brothers'' who watch their every move.
* ''Weaponised'' in Creator/CharlesStross's ''Literature/TheLaundryFiles''. The omnipresent surveillance cameras, which are all accessible by Laundry management, are also part of the "SCORPION STARE" network, being equipped with re-programmable chipsets that can convert them from simple surveillance to being technological [[DeadlyGaze basilisks]]. So not only is Big Brother most likely watching you, if he can see you, he can kill you stone dead with the flick of a switch.

* ''Literature/TheNeanderthalParallax'' by Creator/RobertJSawyer has this with the Companion implants. Subverted, in that Neanderthals see this as a ''good'' thing, as it makes alibing yourself for crimes and identifying perpetrators easy. Except if suspected of a crime, no one monitors a person's recordings- they're only "unlocked" when a formal charge has been made.

** Springfield became like this in "To Surveil With Love", when they hired a man from Great Britain to install cameras all through the town. Ned Flanders was employed as one of the monitors and soon has the Big Brother complex. In fact, in his MyGodWhatHaveIDone speech, he lampshades it by saying that he just wanted to be a [[MoralityPet Little Sister]] instead of a Big Brother. He and Homer then [[RedemptionQuest go around the city]] [[StatusQuoIsGod shooting the cameras with shotguns.]] [[spoiler:Then we find out the camera footage was being sent back to Great Britain as a sitcom.]]
** In the "Treehouse Of Horror V" story "Time And Punishment", Homer jumps from one AlternateUniverse to another, in one of them Ned Flanders uses methods that fit this trope as "overall lord and master of the world".
** In "The Bart-Mangled Banner", after Bart accidentally moons the American flag and the town suddenly becomes hyper-patriotic, Lisa cites the First Amendment (the freedom of speech) in Springfield Church, Reverend Lovejoy comments "I'm sure your opinion will not go unnoticed", to which, a SWAT team raids the church and arrests the Simpsons for violating the "Government-Knows-Best Act", which itself was a parody of the real-life PATRIOT Act.

* Once Katniss and Peeta become contestants in ''Literature/TheHungerGames'', cameras are waiting to capture every move they make.
** It's heavily implied that all of Panem, including the Capitol and Victors' houses, is under surveillance. Katniss never does find out exactly how President Snow knew about the kiss. The only place where she feels unobserved and free to say what she thinks is in the wilderness beyond the electric fence surrounding her district. And the population is so extremely poor that there are always eyes and ears for hire for the government.

* A less creepy example in the ''Series/StargateAtlantis'' AlternateRealityEpisode "Vegas", where Sheppard is a washed-out police detective, who spends his time drinking and gambling. When Alternate!Rodney has him brought in, this exchange happens.

** In "Nepenthe", Narissa knows that Hugh aided Soji and Picard because their movements were being tracked. Narissa has never met Hugh before because she was on Earth posing as a Starfleet officer, but she's aware that Soji is Hugh's protégé, so the Tal Shiar observes the social interactions of everyone on the Artifact.
** In "Broken Pieces", Elnor can run, but he cannot hide on the Artifact; one of Narissa's underlings is keeping tabs on his position.

** [[http://xkcd.com/525/ This strip]] suggests saying "I know you're listening]]" every now and then when in an empty room. Either you're wrong and look silly to nobody, [[ProperlyParanoid or you're right]], and you just scared the crap out of your would-be eavesdropper.

* ''Literature/TheNeanderthalParallax'' by Creator/RobertJSawyer has this with the Companion implants. Subverted, in that Neanderthals see this as a ''good'' thing, as it makes alibing yourself for crimes and identifying perpetrators easy. Except if suspected of a crime, no one monitors a person's recordings-they're only "unlocked" when a formal charge has been made.

* In ''LightNovel/ACertainMagicalIndex'', Academy City is a rather subtle example. On the surface, everyone seems to be living fairly freely, and a number of people commit crimes without retribution, but it's covered in security cameras, watched from orbit, plays ultrasonic frequencies throughout the city so a phone call can be traced by analyzing the sound patterns, and has a database containing detailed information on everyone in the city, ''including brainwave patterns''. Those crimes people get away with? Nearly all of them are secretly backed by the higher ups, and even the ones that aren't are known to them. If all that wasn't enough, there's a ''second'' monitoring system of nanomachines spread throughout the city, even where the cameras don't reach. The police are also heavily armed and double as the military, but [[PsychicPowers considering what they have to deal with]] that part is fairly understandable.

* ''LightNovel/{{Shimoneta}}''

** For extreme levels of BlackComedy Bathrooms have the highest level possible. It's encouraged to have the GM kill off a player in one of them.

* On ''WesternAnimation/AdventureTime'', Princess Bubblegum's antics as ruler of the Candy Kingdom often have disturbing implications; but in the episode "You Made Me" we get to find out that she has CCTV cameras ''all over the place''. While the Candy People are outraged to learn that the Earl of Lemongrab regularly sneaks into their bedrooms to watch them while they sleep, ''nobody'' seems to question the fact that ''their own princess is constantly spying on them.''

* ''Anime/PatemaInverted'': The Agian government closely monitors its citizens through [[SinisterSurveillance an extensive surveillance system]] -- from their government offices, their schools, and the surrounding area outdoors. Citizens are also indoctrinated by their propaganda against the [[spoiler:alleged]] inverts, who have been labelled as "sinners". And anyone caught deviating from their societal norms is marked as a "deviant" and placed under strict watch.

* ''ComicBook/TheSandman'' has a rather interesting {{invo|kedTrope}}cation with Desire, who addresses its older brother Dream (out of hearing range): "Big brother -- ''I watch you''..."

* ''Weaponised'' in Creator/CharlesStross's ''Literature/TheLaundryFiles''. The omnipresent surveillance cameras, which are all accessible by Laundry management, are also part of the [[AC:Scorpion Stare]] network, being equipped with re-programmable chipsets that can convert them from simple surveillance to being technological [[DeadlyGaze basilisks]]. So not only is Big Brother most likely watching you, if he can see you, he can kill you stone dead with the flick of a switch.

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[[folder:Webcomics]]

* ''Webcomic/{{Sinfest}}'' had fun with these: [[http://www.sinfest.net/view.php?date=2004-06-03 It's flip-off time!]] [[http://www.sinfest.net/view.php?date=2007-12-30 Flip-off time]] again. [[http://www.sinfest.net/view.php?date=2010-11-30 Office assistant]]. [[http://www.sinfest.net/view.php?date=2011-10-01 And now, bomf-off time]].
** Devil's employees do this among other duties. [[http://www.sinfest.net/view.php?date=2010-12-05 Blue]] devil girl ''[[http://www.sinfest.net/view.php?date=2011-09-26 likes]]'' soul audits! She only doesn't like the part where she runs into a VIP and gets interrupted by the boss -- who seems to watch her in turn (actually he didn't, she ran into view on her own).
** Later a bunch of Illuminati Drones [[http://www.sinfest.net/view.php?date=2012-03-14 tried to buzz around Buddha]] and were enlightened on the spot. So the [[SurveillanceAsThePlotDemands DevilTV]] stuck in [[NatureLover Nature Show]] time from that point on.
* In ''Webcomic/{{Skyvein}}'', [[FunWithAcronyms VISN]] (the Visual Information and Surveillance Network) watches everyone, all the time.
* ''Webcomic/{{xkcd}}'' suggests saying "[[http://xkcd.com/525/ I know you're listening]]" every now and then when in an empty room. Either you're wrong and look silly to nobody, [[ProperlyParanoid or you're right]], and you just scared the crap out of the eavesdropper/spy.

* ''WebAnimation/{{RWBY}}'': In Volume 7, Ruby's group are disturbed to see just how much of a police state Mantle has become since Volume 3; soldiers and robot drones are everywhere, while videos of General Ironwood spewing propaganda play. After "A Night Off", where [[PsychoForHire Tyrian]] has framed [[RobotGirl Penny]] for killing people at a gathering, Ironwood outlaws the right to public assembly and instigates a curfew. And the truly tragic thing is how pointless these "precautions" turn out to be. Because Mantle's [[EverythingIsOnline cyberspace]] is so outdated, [[EvilGenius Watts]] is able to hack any security camera, giving him and Tyrian free rein of the city.

* A harmless example is from ''Pinball/FunHouse'', where the head of CreepyDoll Rudy the Dummy follows the ball around the playfield.

* ''Series/TheBarrier'': Outside of the enclave for the elites, there are surveillance drones in the street and each block has a government informer whose job seems to basically be a combination of professional NosyNeighbor and government propaganda parrot. Most people also need to use a PayPhone to makes calls or meet in person if neither side has their own phone, which greatly reduces the options for discrete communication. There are also undercover policemen in the most unlikely places.