Ubiquitous sensors would be a great thing for owners of large parcels of property ... such as farmers and ranchers.

But maybe not such a good thing for civil liberties.

I love how Vinge explores these issues in his books. He's really underrated. When The Expanse was announced, I was excited ... but a bit disappointed that that series made it to the screen as the first hard sci-fi book across the line, before Vinge's work.