What measures would one take to maintain power?

It is evident from the start of the Enemy of the State that the United States government is operating many clandestine wire-tapping operations. These attacks on civil liberties indicate that a fascist regime is about to take hold, if it hasn’t yet already. Similarly, in 1984, The Party acts as omnipotent government that hopes to supress the personal freedoms of the people living in Oceania.
Although, 1984 does not mention wire-tapping directly, the book shows the government’s use of telescreens. Telescreens are objects that allow the government to see you at any moment of the day, and they can never be turned off. These objects act as a means of disseminating information about the war Oceania and other various “reports” regarding the government.
Most would say that wire-tapping and telescreens are an invasion of personal privacy. The unethical use of them can lead to unnecessary imprisonments of otherwise innocent victims. Citizens living in Washington D.C. in Enemy of the State and London in 1984 will be living their lives innocently until they are in the wrong place at the wrong time. For example, Will Smith’s character in Enemy of the State was only out buying lingerie for his wife, when he encountered an old friend from college and gave his friend his business card. Little did Will Smith know that his friend had been wire-tapped and was on the run from the government. After his friend was caught, the government found Will Smith’s business card and now put Will Smith on the suspect list. Even though Will Smith was innocent, the sinister technology made him an enemy of the government. Personally, I do think wire-tapping, if used only for reasons to discover terrorist ploys, is acceptable. It will help protect the safety of the nation, like it did in England in 2006. There was an alleged plot at Heathrow Airport to blow up fights bound for the United States . In this case, wire-tapping saved hundreds of lives. However, if wire-tapping is used to find people holding evidence against the government, it should be illegal. In Enemy of the State, the wildlife photographer managed to capture the murder of a man on film, even though the government said that the man died of a heart attack. The government wire-tapped him and he was ultimately killed. The motivation was purely personal greed to maintain power, and this was wrong.