I think it's a pretty big difference, going from labor-intensive manual inspection of data to fully automated inspection of data, opening up everyone within few of the camera to being automatically tracked.

It's not the same thing that's always been done, except now it's being done with a computer. It's the same thing that's always been done, except now it's being done for everyone, rather than for just a few select individuals of interest. It doesn't really matter that a computer is involved; it's the scope of the surveillance that is disconcerting. If huge numbers of humans were hired to track everyone manually, that would also be disconcerting.

Who cares? I'm not entirely sure. And I guess that's sort of the point. This level of surveillance has, in my opinion, surpassed what most of society is ready for. I don't think that most people have a good grasp on what's going on, or what impact it will / could have on their lives.

If arbitrary companies and government agencies can know my whereabouts at all times, should this have any impact to how I live my life? It's a question that society at large has never had to really answer before.