The last three decades have seen scientific and technical advances which eclipse the progress of the previous century. It brings to mind a saying by the great science fiction writer Sir Arthur C. Clarke, who died recently:

“Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.”

And indeed, all around us are examples which would have seemed magical only a generation ago, not least the means by which you are reading this. Even Sir Arthur, in his most celebrated work “2001 – A Space Odyssey”, only envisaged a primitive version of the Internet called the Newspad – confined to an electronic version of the world’s newspapers. As we all know, things were rather more sophisticated than that, long before the turn of the century.

Another great thinker and innovator, Thomas Edison, first demonstrated sound recording in November 1877, using tinfoil-coated cylinders as a medium. Emile Berliner patented the wax-coated disc ten years later. Little real development took place until the microgroove L.P. in 1948, bringing a significant improvement in playing time and sound quality. With tape recorders largely confined to broadcasters and enthusiasts, and the cassette tape not becoming popular until the late 1960s, sound recording as far as the general public was concerned was thus confined to a stylus in a groove for almost a hundred years.

Since the Compact Disc appeared in the early 1980s, the sophistication of this branch of technology has grown at an exponential rate. The CD once appeared to be the ultimate recording medium, using a laser instead of a stylus and so eliminating wear and resulting deterioration in sound quality. But after what seems no time at all, even the CD is beginning to look old-fashioned, with the future clearly belonging to mp3 and the like, with no moving parts at all. Or does it?

It could certainly be argued that the mp3 player would be next to impossible to improve on as a means of storing sound recordings. With capacity of tens of gigabytes freely available, enabling thousands of songs to be stored in a unit not much bigger than a credit card, one may well ask what can possibly come next. And that, frankly, is beginning to worry me.

For one inevitable result of technical advances is the ability they give governments to strengthen their control of the population they are supposedly elected to serve. This has become especially true of the United Kingdom in recent years. It has been reported than an incredible, and appalling, 25% of the world’s closed-circuit TV cameras are concentrated in this little island, spying on all and sundry. A citizen – even a child of ten – is routinely fingerprinted, photographed and a DNA sample taken for the smallest offence – even if no charges are brought. The so-called fight against terrorism is an excuse constantly parroted, with the age-old mantra that “if you”ve done no wrong you’ve nothing to fear’.

So why am I so concerned about the sinister potential of technology? Because of the logical final step in the development of telephony, sound and image recording and transmission – implantation within the human brain. You can just imagine the adverts: “No more batteries – this unit runs on your brain”s own electrical energy! Say goodbye to earphones and tangled wires! The ultimate in convenience and 24/7 availability! Never lose your phone or music player again!’

It all sounds wonderful, doesn’t it? And, so long as the implant included an off switch, perhaps it might be. How long, though, before such a facility became first an optional extra, then simply not included? The prospect of never being able to disconnect yourself from the rest of the world is terrifying. It would undoubtedly be the greatest tool ever available for governments to control its citizens, and for big business to sell its wares to a literally captive audience.

Anyone who passionately believes in personal freedom should be increasingly wary of new technology, and the shadowy people behind it. If you need convincing, just read George Orwell’s book “Nineteen Eighty-Four” – while you still can.