Key snippet: Imagine a cylindrical prison where every inmate is within line-of-sight to a central pillar. You can see out from the pillar but not into it. Pris

Key snippet: Imagine a cylindrical prison where every inmate is within line-of-sight to a central pillar. You can see out from the pillar but not into it. Prisoners never know when they are being watched so must constantly act as if they are under surveillance [...] The key insight being that the mere possibility of surveillance is enough to change behaviour [...] a panopticon derives its power from the awareness of its subjects. In fact, belief in the existence of it is the sole requirement. Neither intent, nor reality are necessary for control. Suddenly casts things in a completely different light for me. What if, for example, the Snowden leaks were on purpose? What if we were supposed to notice the FBI plane above Baltimore? What if the facility in Utah was really just an empty building, and the goal was not to record all phone calls but to make you think they could?