There’s an old adage of mobsters everywhere: “You’re only guilty if you get caught!” Now it seems that everyone is guilty.

Who can say they’ve never, ever committed a crime? Perhaps you cheated on a tax expense, or told a little white lie that made you look good; maybe you embellished your resume – just a bit – or left out a part of your history when you told all to your spouse-to-be.

Probably most of us have exceeded the speed limit on occasion, or perhaps smoked or drank something we legally shouldn’t have at college. But it didn’t really matter, because we never got caught. Bygones.

Those days are over. With more and more intelligent devices, smart cameras, drones, and a video webcam in every pocket, even your darkest secrets will be exposed. Your own phone and car spy on you already, and you gladly give up your privacy to be connected to the cloud, to get a job, and to enjoy seamless shopping convenience.

Intelligent, AI-enhanced software agents scan video at superhuman speed, identifying faces and picking up patterns of antisocial behaviour. Every public utterance and social media contribution you make is scrutinized and verified. There’s nowhere to hide!

So welcome to utopia; where we’re all criminals in the absolute sense. It’s just the degree of criminality that still matters today.