It is an uncomfortable fact, but every country watches the movements of its citizens. The degrees of surveillance vary from authoritarian regimes such as North Korea featuring among the most heavily monitored societies to the Database States such as the United Kingdom. It is surprising to learn that the UK has been described as one of the most surveyed countries in the world. The main reason for this is that it has more close-circuit television (CCTV) cameras in use than any other democratic country. Despite statistics suggesting that over 90 percent of these cameras are in private hands, people remain concerned about official snooping. The government insists the cameras are there to prevent crimes and keep people safe; yet statistics show that only a tiny percentage of criminal cases are solved using CCTV evidence. In spite of this, the authorities continue to champion the use of public surveillance. It seems the Big Brother society predicted by the British writer George Orwell in his famous novel 1984 has come to pass. In recent years, the naysayers have won the day. British surveillance system, such as the National Identity Registration (NIR) system, which allows government agencies to share personal data with no accountability, has been abandoned. However, many British citizens remain convinced that the government continues to poke its nose into the private affairs of its citizens.