The government is suggesting that it might ban some Apple security updates. Under the latest plans, tech companies would need to notify the British government before rolling out a security fix but might be refused permission if it blocks a vulnerability that’s being exploited by security services.
There’s a reason why 1984 took place in Britain, they have a massive cultural issue.
It took place in Britain because it was written by a British author for British audiences. It was written at a time when totalitarianism (both fascist and socialist) was a major threat in the world outside Britain.
IngSoc wasn’t meant to suggest that Britain was somehow uniquely vulnerable to totalitarianism. It was meant to be a warning to Britons of how the totalitarianism that we could see dominating continental Europe and Russia at the time could also hypothetically develop here - IngSoc was meant to be a sort of ‘totalitarianism with British characteristics’.
Yeah, and Orwell fucking aced it, sad as that is. He’d be rolling in his grave to know the only prediction that hasn’t come true is that creepy vaguely nazi-esque logo from the 1984 movie they actually made IRL that year, which I don’t think he had a had in designing?
Unfortunately, dystopia comes in many, many forms and no one forsaw internet dragnets or that smartphones, unlike “telescreens”, would be too useful to not have and too universal to not use.