Watching them, listening to you

Matt Smith reinterprets George Orwell’s 1984 for the modern era

When George Orwell wrote 1984, he wasn’t really looking 36 years into the future. The landmark novel was of course published just after the Second World War, when the defeat of the Nazis was swiftly followed by the rise of the Eastern Bloc. So Orwell’s world of mass rallies, repression, telescreens, and perpetual war was not beyond the bounds of imagination – and one that could happen at any time.

Now with the rise of the internet, and its use as a tool to spread “fake news”, even by the world’s leaders, it doesn’t seem all that farfetched.

But despite the power of the web as an information sharing (and stealing) tool, it seems that many citizens are somewhat blasé about their online security – even given the potential for their personal details to be ‘acquired’ by criminals, or by unscrupulous but legitimate traders.

Indeed, with our online devices able to interpret our browsing habits and even listen in on our conversations in our own homes, it’s only a short step from higher powers being able to prosecute us for “thoughtcrime”.

That’s why computer security company Avast have teamed up with Orwell, well – to be exact they have used his out-ofcopyright book as a salutary lesson in online security.

And with good reason it seems – Avast’s research found one in four people have been the victims of some sort of online fraud, but around half of people using the internet haven’t done anything to protect themselves, with many finding the whole process either too complicated or too much trouble.

The same research found that four in five people who know the novel believe

that its themes are coming true today.

Avast’s chief privacy officer Shane McNamee (far left) says: “By being informed about and reviewing the personal data consumers allow access to, and having the right tools to help take back control of their online existence, users can take steps to better protect themselves online.

“That way, we can help prevent Nineteen Eighty-Four from becoming a reality.”

Avast has re-released Orwell’s ‘Nineteen EightyFour’ as ‘Twenty Twenty-One’, to highlight the similarities between today’s increasing online surveillance and the ‘big brother’ society he predicted over 70 years

ago.

Also on board is actor Matt Smith, former Doctor Who and most recently Prince Philip in The Crown, who takes on the role of protagonist Winston Smith, reading his diary entries in the podcast version, and who said: “Great literature maintains a universality over the course of time – particularly true in the case of this novel, which still feels extremely pertinent today.

“I’ve got involved in this project as I feel having digital freedom online is so important in today’s society.

“In a world where we may feel required to share more of ourselves than ever before, it’s something we should endeavour to be really diligent about.”

Hear 1984 / 2021 at www. avast.com/twentytwentyone.