a government that mistakes watching everyone for protecting everyone.
means a political system where the state systematically monitors citizens' communications, movements, and behavior, usually in the name of security.
from the phrase crystallized during the cold war, describing east german and soviet bloc regimes, but the concept is ancient — bentham's 1791 panopticon prison design, where a single guard could watch all inmates without being seen, became its founding metaphor.
east germany stasi — employed 91000 officers, 189000 informants by 1989
china social credit — scores citizens, restricts travel for low ratings since 2014
nsa prism program — tapped google, facebook, apple servers, exposed 2013
london cctv network — over 600000 cameras across the city by 2020