Keeping an Eye on You (love song from the NSA)

So many things I want to know                             G G#dim A A#dim
I see you everywhere you go,                                 G/B G#dim Am D9
From head to toe, I’m keeping an eye on you.   G Em Am DBmA#mAmD9

You may never see my face,                                    Gmaj7 G6 (2)
But you’re in my database,                                     Am D9 (2)
And just in case, I’m keeping an eye on you       Am D9 (2) G C Cm G

No reason you would notice me, it’s all for your own good   C B7 Em
But I would be all over you, If I only could                 A7 D

With internet technology,
Verizon and AT&T,
It’s just you and me, and I’m keeping an eye on you.  Believe it!

Takin’ down your attitude,
Your longitude and latitude,
Won’t intrude, but  I’m keeping an eye on you.

No reason you would notice me, It’s all for your own good
But I would be all over you, If I only could

I like to check on passers-by
Pretending I’m a normal guy
I might be shy, but I’m keeping an eye on you  

I want you to think of me
Just like your family,
’cause I wouldn’t know what to do
Without you

So baby, don’t you treat me cruel,                               C-  Cm
Don’t you treat me like a fool,                                      Bm  E7
Cause I’m so in love with, keeping an eye on you   Am   D   G

©Doug Hendren, Nancy Beall 2014

What’s it about? Our technology for surveillance has matured much faster than our ability to manage it wisely. Surveillance technology is built into our telephones and our online purchases or web surfing. Information about everything we do is widely bought and sold for commercial purposes, and for darker purposes as well. As people born in 1950, we really have to stay on our toes to avoid getting scammed by the unscrupulous always fishing for information, or even just trying to get us to talk to a robot in order to get our voiceprints! And the same and even more sophisticated technology is used by our national security professionals 24/7. There’s no getting around it, but the whole thing is still creepy. It’s one thing in a John Grisham novel – but quite another when I get a glimpse of it now and then up close.

In the US, data centers are heavily concentrated in northern Virginia, close to the seat of federal government and our major military and security agencies.  The energy and water (for cooling) requirements of these data centers is enormous. At a time when we urgently need a rapid transition away from fossil fuels, the growth in electricity demand from data centers creates additional challenges, further compounded by the rapid rise in artificial intelligence capability.

I’m not offering any solutions here,  just a sort of light take on the subject of surveillance in general.  It’s sort of an offbeat, imaginary “love letter” from those in a position to be spying on us all.

For another paranoid song on this subject, see “Got a Feeling.” Enjoy!