Big Brother

Big Brother is most commonly used to refer to the idea that there is some anonymous person or persons looking over your every move. It is frequently used in reference to secret service agencies spying on civilians so as to gain more information about them and infringe on their rights. Big brother activities are routinely used in dictatorships and other fear-driven societies where coups are common. Most secret service agencies act as big brother to some degree and there is a fear by many in non-fear driven countries such as the United States that Big brother is very much present.

A TV show by the same name was created and exists today in many countries around the world, where an unknown person watches their every move.

The term originated in the novel 1984 by George Orwell. "Big Brother" was the all-powerful but allegedly benevolent dictator (meant to be Joseph Stalin). There was a total surveillance society where everyone was monitored all the time, and the expression for that is "Big Brother is watching you".