'Really scary': Why more and more Aussies are expected to go 'off the grid'

Charles Affleck is so concerned about the growing level of surveillance in Australia he moved out of the big cities to escape the prying eyes of officials.

He predicts more Australians will follow him as the number of security cameras in Australian cities grows to more than almost any place in the world.

"I'm very glad to be away from it," he told A Current Affair.

His off-the-grid community in country Victoria relies on solar power.

The 69-year-old said the expanding surveillance in our major cities was "really scary stuff".

"No-one's watching me, and it will stay that way," he said.

A recent analysis found Sydney has one of the highest rates of CCTV cameras per 1000 people in the world, excluding China.

Tonight, A Current Affair will reveal the incredible rate of surveillance across our capitals is set to expand even further, with government plans to establish new technology eerily reminiscent of that used in China's "social credit" system.

Watch the full story on A Current Affair tonight from 7pm.