The British government has located millions of microchips in garbage bins to observe the volume of waste, leading a privacy advocacy group to say it stinks.
The majority of the devices have yet to be activated — as sure sign of their predictable unpopularity, the group Big Brother Watch says.
The Associated Press in recent times interviewed its director Dylan Sharpe, who said: “They are waiting for the political environment to change before they start using them” — a reference to possible fines in the future for families that throw away large amounts of trash.
Local government frames it instead as a tool to reward households that decrease waste.
The chips are plugged into the British information grid, which includes extensive closed-circuit cameras and an extensive DNA database. It’s a controversial but effective system for tracking people’s movements that proponent’s say is vital to counter terrorism efforts, and detractors decry as Orwell Ian and a “nanny state.”
