“Big Brother“ 應該怎麽翻譯？

If you think concerns about GPS positioning in cell phones is scary in a tin foil hat kind of way, or you're concerned about a few hundred thousand Social Security Numbers being inadvertently disclosed by Wisconsin state agencies, you might have read George Orwell's "nineteen eighty-four". Wang Jianzhou (王建宙）, head of China Mobile, made quite a splash at a panel about the future of cell phones, with the very literal disclosure, "We know where you are." Sure, Eric Schmidt, CEO of Google, looking to break into the cell phone market, has every right to be enthusiastic about location-based advertising, but the definition of privacy has slightly different meaning in Chinese. For instance, in the first Legal Dictionary published in Chinese after the the opening up of the Chinese marketplace and the liberalization of state regulation (改革開放)　in 1980，the only mention of privacy (隱私) relates to the privacy concerns in the case of rape of other illicit sexual activity. Admittedly, a lot can happen in the 30 years, for instance, China has become an economic superpower with a maturing discourse in civil society. A tightly disciplined form of protest against the problems of development are being demonstrated with increasing regularity, for instance, the ongoing maglev protests in Shanghai.

Congressman Edward Markey (MA - 7th) and Sony CEO Howard Stringer stand on the other side of the issue here in the United States. I, however, still sleep comfortable and content in the knowledge that the Bill of Rights will protect me from an overly intrusive government intent on invading commonly accepted and legally protected norms of telecommunications privacy. Ooops. Rep. Markey, Chairman of the House Subcommittee on Telecommunications and the Log Cabin, wouldn't agree with that statement. On Friday, the Senate voted 60-36 to reject re-writing the laws governing the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance court, no matter how much Sen. Harry Reid wanted to to get Bush a bill before the February 1st deadline.

With 6 million new subscribers every month China Mobile has a significant share of the Chinese cell phone market,　and plans to list on a mainland stock exchange in the near future.　China Mobile covers their liability by mentioning in their privacy policy published online (中文) that government coercion is one reason your privacy could be violated.

A Certain Republicrat from Nevada

Just in case, for those of you who may be wondering about this, here is the definition of opposition. Please note, there is no mention of toadying up to another branch of government that you notionally oppose.

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/12/15/politics/main3622108.shtml

Is W's argument that he needs to be able to listen in on anyone and everyone's phone conversations and internet traffic without a warrant really "very strong" as CBS News characterizes it? Is there anyone who actually believes it is? Does anyone believe that CBS News is any more relevant than CNN or Fox, as in not at all?

I would like to thank everyone who flooded Sen. Reid's office in opposition to him sending out the Intelligence Committee version of the extension, or perhaps permanent inclusion into public law. For all of those who were wondering what a Republicrat is, it is embodied in an opposition leader who plays both parts of congress against each other and then gives the President he notionally opposes everything that he could possibly ask for. Let's hope there can be some semblance of a sustained outcry. It may make me sound like a crazy person, but we cannot allow telecom companies to get away with cooperating with what they knew to be an illegal, unauthorized program to surveil upon the American people. And, for the love of reason, why should we allow our personal freedoms, or at the very least, the reasonable expectation that your phone call isn't being listened in on, to vanish like so much water vapor?

Sens. Feingold and Dodd are heroes, by the by.