In Rainbows End, Vernor Vinge has provided a compelling explanation of how developing technology and powerful interests could create a society far more invasive and controlled than anything Orwell dreamed of.

Set in 2025, on the verge of (or in) the Singularity, the characters are surrounded by logical extensions of today’s developing technology. Wearable computing is commonplace. Tagging and ubiquitous networked sensors mean you can look at the landscape with your choice of overlay and detail. People send each other silent messages and Google for information within conversations with participants who may be physically present or might be remote projections.

Vinge’s technology to satisfy these groups’ dreams is the Secure Hardware Environment (She), which dedicates some bandwidth and a small portion of every semiconductor for regulatory use.