Smart Cities Are The Future, But What About The Privacy Concerns?

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October 28, 2020 Business

In 2019, Alphabet-owned urban innovation company Sidewalk Labs revealed their plan to convert the city of Toronto, Canada into a smart city. The plan would take years, but the results would mean a more efficient city.

However, the project suffered heavy resistance, and in the end—in 2020—Sidewalk Labs announced the end of the project. Toronto would remain as it was. But many smart cities have cropped up in the past decade, and Toronto is sure to become one in the future.

Smart Cities Are The Future, But What About The Privacy Concerns?

Singapore, Gdynia, Dubai, London: these cities are only a few examples of smart cities found across the world. The future is filled with them. But what is a smart city? What does the title of “smart city” entail?

Defining Smart Cities

Cities rely on data in order to increase efficiency of public utilities, improve public services, reduce crime, and reduce the city’s overall environmental footprint. Smart cities focus on collecting data for those very reasons using the Internet of Things (IoT), a web of connected devices.

Traffic light sensors, 24/7 surveillance cameras with real-time access, air quality sensors, gunshot detection systems: smart cities provide technologies that are designed to improve the lives of citizens.

When it comes to labelling cities, any city that is using technology in order to better the lives of its citizens can be considered “smart”. Certain experts follow strict criteria, but the definition is purposefully broad.

That said, why are smart cities becoming popular? Technology is becoming a necessity in many areas, sure, but what’s with the recent push towards smart cities that has taken place in the past decade?

The short answer: improvement.

Why Smart Cities are the Future

The Internet of Things allows communication and data transfer on a scale never seen before in human history. Because of this, cities have looked into using data collection to better public utilities and infrastructure. The earliest example of a smart city project can be found in 1974 with Los Angeles’s plan to use data cluster analysis in order to reduce segregation and bring more equality to its citizens.

So, how exactly does data collection help cities? Let’s look at an example of reduced crime.

Say there’s certain areas of a city suffering from high crime rates. Police could scout the area often and respond whenever a crime does happen, but this wastes resources and takes up time. Instead, the city could install surveillance cameras with real-time access and set up gunshot detection systems for faster response times. Data collection could also help first responders with predictive policing.

Smart cities also reduce the amount of waste produced and carbon emissions released. This is done using various techniques, from solar panel-powered trash compactors to sensors that help increase the efficiency of public utilities.

There are many other areas smart cities excel in, including increased engagement from citizens, better, improved transportation, and more development opportunities. However, there are issues—controversies, even—that follow smart cities. The biggest issue? Privacy, or the lack thereof.

The Problems Concerning Smart Cities

Let’s rewind back to the example of low crime in smart cities. The city has installed surveillance cameras on every corner, every block, and every avenue in order to deter crime. It’s worked! Crime has never been lower, and citizens can walk down the streets, day or night, with peace of mind.

However, some citizens have—rightfully so—become concerned with their privacy. Sure, crime is reduced, but now every citizen who walks by the cameras are watched, recorded, monitored. The police have constant eyes on citizens.

This is not a hypothetical, but a reality. As smart cities grow and become more common, privacy-concerned citizens have come out against them due to the right of privacy being taken away from citizens.

And it’s not just cameras, either. Sensors can give the city information on you, from weight to appearance to where you are. Hiding—living your life away from prying eyes—becomes a luxury instead of a human right afforded to the average citizen.

Smart cities face privacy issues, both now and in the future. Is there anything that can be done? Well, governments and corporations will need to collaborate and help fund smart city projects while paying close attention to the privacy afforded to citizens.

However, this is not a guarantee. And more often than not, these companies will take any chance they have to collect data on citizens. So what can be done?

How Citizens can Maintain their Privacy

Unfortunately, many ways to regain privacy as a citizen lies on the citizen themselves. Again, until rigid standards are set and privacy laws are passed, it’s up to citizens to push back on certain technologies (like the Toronto city project).

But protesting the development of smart cities won’t work, as smart cities are the future of many, if not all major cities. So citizens will need to keep some things in mind.

For one, citizens would do well to avoid public networks. Not only are public networks home to hackers, but they also allow cities to collect data on you. If the city isn’t collecting your data, then the ISP sure is, which is a whole other issue.

If you or someone you know needs to use public networks, then download a VPN app to encrypt your traffic, ensuring your data remains private and protected.

Overall, residents of smart cities need to be careful about what they access, who they give their information to you, and where they’re giving out said information. Smart cities collect data wherever possible and utilize whatever tools are needed for maximum data collection. And it’s entirely possible that a city may try to collect data from citizen’s own devices.

Conclusion

Smart cities are the future, no question about it. The improvements they bring to the table are too significant to ignore. However, like any budding field, there are issues, including the roadblock of privacy.

Citizens can fight against their loss of privacy, but only for so long. It will be interesting to see how these cities develop as time goes on.