If ubiquitous cameras tied into the information highway should prove to reduce serious crime dramatically in test communities, a real debate would begin over whether people fear surveillance more or less than they fear crime. It is difficult to imagine a government-sanctioned experiment along these lines in the United States because of the privacy issues it raises and the likelihood of constitutional challenges. However, opinion can change. It might take only a few more incidents like the bombing in Oklahoma City within the borders of the United States for attitudes toward strong privacy protection to shift. What today seems like digital Big Brother might one day become the norm if the alternative is being left to the mercy of terrorists and criminals. I am not advocating either position – technology will enable society to make a political decision.
Predictor: Gates, Bill
Prediction, in context:In his 1995 book “The Road Ahead,” Microsoft CEO Bill Gates writes: ”Almost everyone is willing to accept some restrictions in exchange for a sense of security … If ubiquitous cameras tied into the information highway should prove to reduce serious crime dramatically in test communities, a real debate would begin over whether people fear surveillance more or less than they fear crime. It is difficult to imagine a government-sanctioned experiment along these lines in the United States because of the privacy issues it raises and the likelihood of constitutional challenges. However, opinion can change. It might take only a few more incidents like the bombing in Oklahoma City within the borders of the United States for attitudes toward strong privacy protection to shift. What today seems like digital Big Brother might one day become the norm if the alternative is being left to the mercy of terrorists and criminals. I am not advocating either position – technology will enable society to make a political decision.”
Biography:Bill Gates, the most influential technology entrepreneur of the late 20th century, was the primary author of the prediction-packed 1995 book “The Road Ahead” and is the founder and CEO of Microsoft Corporation. (Entrepreneur/Business Leader.)
Date of prediction: January 1, 1995
Topic of prediction: Controversial Issues
Subtopic: Crime/Fraud/Terrorism
Name of publication: The Road Ahead (book)
Title, headline, chapter name: Chapter 12: Critical Issues
Quote Type: Direct quote
Page number or URL of document at time of study:
Pages 269, 270
This data was logged into the Elon/Pew Predictions Database by: Guarino, Jennifer Anne