In 1948, George Orwell wrote a book, “1984,” about a future where surveillance technology eliminated any sense of privacy people had. Anywhere people went in this depressing future, the more they were watched by a controlling, repressive regime.

Unlike the days of “Smile, You’re On ‘Candid Camera,’” — the late 1940s to 1970s-era TV show where an unsuspecting individual gets caught on camera in a harmless, hilarious prank — today, almost every move you make in public, and perhaps in private, can be recorded on a camera or video device. And it’s often nothing to smile about.

Here’s a frightening example of just how scary and invasive this new technology can be:

The Eagle recently reported on a police investigation into a camera found in a Target bathroom in Gibsonia, including interest in a Butler County resident.

Northern Regional Police Department said the camera was found by a store employee in a unisex, singular-use bathroom. The camera resembled a USB charging port.

“(The witness) noticed a light and thought that was a little strange,” said Chief John Sicilia. The investigation is ongoing.

It was a private moment exploited. It’s a lesson for all of us to be on guard.

Today’s technology continues to improve and is less expensive, making it far too easy to spy on people, for whatever nefarious reasons.

As an example, a company called iSpyPens, from Tampa, Fla., makes a camera pen with 75 minutes of battery life and up to 128 GB of memory with a high-definition camera and video storage. Cameras can now be anything, anywhere, literally.

However, in the right hands for the right reason, technology can be a force for good and justice. The Boston Marathon bombing investigation in April of 2013 had the help of a lot of camera technology. The suspects were seen on various street corner cameras and police cracked the case quickly as a result.

Likewise, cameras were widely in use (in this case, mostly cellphone recordings) at the U.S. Capitol during the Jan. 6 riot, aiding law enforcement to apprehend the participants.

The moral of the story: Be aware, everywhere. You are most likely on camera.

— AA