Smart Meters are now Big Brother

(NaturalNews) There has been a great deal of news over the past few years about how the federal government is increasingly spying on the American people, especially via the National Security Agency and the FBI. But it is becoming increasingly apparent that Americans’ privacy is being invaded more frequently, and on a wider scale, by private industry.

Consider just some of the latest technology to hit the market and you can see that we Americans are being watched, monitored, measured and profiled 24 hours a day, seven days a week – and in many ways, we’re helping the process:

“Smart” meters

In recent days, California Gov. Jerry Brown ordered residents of the drought-stricken state to cut water usage by as much as 25 percent. It wasn’t a recommendation, per se; officials are serious about implementing it.

As reported by CBS Los Angeles, state and local officials are going after “water wasters” through the installation of “smart meters” that gauge water use and report it back to water authorities, wirelessly.

“It collects the data every five minutes, then after midnight, the cellphone that’s built in here comes on, makes one call, and calls it in to the database that we and the customer, through a password security system, have online access to their consumption,” Long Beach Water Department General Manager Kevin Wattier told the local affiliate. “The accuracy is just incredible, because we get the data the next day.”

In February, when water smart meters were installed around the city, Wattier used the data to catch the owners of local McDonalds restaurant who were said to be over-watering the lawn there.

Wattier went onto say he believes smart meters will increasingly be used to measure water usage at both homes and businesses throughout Southern California. But no one is talking about getting rid of them once the drought subsides.