What are the technologies in the city that help us they watch and spy
As technology grows in cities and their scope, their responsibilities also grow. From ensuring responsible privacy to surveillance that does not diminish our rights to be free in some cities that are more monitored and controlled than ever.
Some analysts are already warning that the success of smart cities or smart cities will reside in containing a balance with the privacy of users. The news technologies will create huge data sources and opportunities but also new risks that must be studied and analyzed in depth.
Today, cities are already joining large platforms technologies that analyze large volumes of data (See BIG DATA article) to offer more efficient services with the promise to use data in a civic way to spark innovation, make urban spaces more pleasant or promote social insertion, among many other goodness.
At the same time, the application of these advances is based in the personal data of individuals and users where may raise significant civil liberties issues or one's own privacy.
The administrations and rulers from the first stages of planning, including urban planning and its infrastructures, they must be concerned and establish legislative frameworks and tools designed for the use, collection, sharing or deletion of that information.
We must remember that if citizens do not see clearly the benefits of new technologies or distrust the protection of their data, they will see the new sensors, cameras and other useful applications such as surveillance and discipline tool, instead of providing solutions and useful innovation for daily life.
From the Future Of Privacy Forum platform they have just launched an analysis that tries to shed light on privacy and future of smart cities with a conclusion that offers a different vision… “The cities of the future will succeed by being more accountable and transparent to how they will use resident data, and NOT as will advance technologically”
Content menu:
- What are the technologies that collect data in a city?
- Surveillance from transport and mobility
- Surveillance from the utility
- Surveillance from communications
- Surveillance from administrative services
- Environmental monitoring
- What are the privacy risks of data?
- How to improve data privacy in cities?
What are the technologies that collect data in a city?
The report delves into what technologies are currently connected and are watching us. It's not just about of our own smartphone or smartphone that continuously is actually emitting data about what we do or don't do, there are many more sensors in the urban spaces and on its landscape than simply sight we do not perceive them, but they are continually contributing information to data centers.
Surveillance from transport and mobility
- Traffic controls that react to the pedestrian (For example a traffic light or bus stops)
- Automatic license plate registrations. cameras of security and surveillance that capture the images of the license plates when vehicles pass.
- Intelligent public transport that adjusts routes in function of demand.
- Road tolls that track traffic patterns traffic and congestion.
- Smoke and fire sensors and detectors that monitor any incident to notify the fire brigade.
- Sensors dedicated to pedestrian traffic to optimize urban spaces.
- Urban bicycle services. When we use the bicycles and when not.
- The helicopters and drones that watch us from the sky.
- Mobile Apps that we can use for example for public transport or even for taxis.
- Smart cars with their Wifi or Internet that communicates with practically everything.
- Railway transport that transmits data about its use and possible breakdowns.
- All kinds of Apps to move around the city with their maps and geolocation.
Surveillance from the utility
- Data surveillance in cities on the water quality improvement analysis. and data about the different supply networks or possible leaks.
- Smart water meters that monitor consumption on each home.
Optimized - light sensors based on atmospheric conditions.
- Lighting sensors that regulate the power according to space and place needs.
- Smart energy networks based on energy flows energy demand consumption.
Surveillance from the communications
- The public Internet or broadband that connects information services that can be offered to us.
- Urban smart cards such as the one used on bicycles or on buses and subways.
- Free Wi-Fi from public kiosks you collect information.
- The cloud servers that process the data and that offer information through the Internet to city residents.
Surveillance from services administrative
- Listen sensors and alert the police. By For example, in many traffic lights there are.
- Police applications or Apps to improve the emergency response.
- Security devices such as cameras what we can find in the streets.
- Supervision of the social networks of the Administrations and its analysis.
- Monitoring of public car parks and different sensors for cars in open parking spaces or zones, example such as neighborhoods ancient of the city.
- Centers for security coordination where they collect data in real time.
Environmental monitoring
- In some cities, dumpsters report whether they are full or not. They are the intelligent containers of waste.
- Smart landfills that monitor levels of cargo and waste emissions.
- The different environmental sensors that measure the air quality, noise and other conditions.
- The public garbage waste trucks adjusting their routes in real time according to needs.
I think by now we can understand that we are quite guarded in the cities even if we don't want to. If we add up all the monitoring points and security sensors data extraction, we find the following image…
What are the privacy risks? of data?
Are we making good use of the information we have obtained from the residents?…The administrations and rulers must begin to be aware of the main privacy concerns of data that different analysts consider vulnerable:
- Surveillance. Concern for data collection from governments to entities corporations that will obtain detailed records of the lives of the people strengthening an imbalance of power.
- Data loss. They must be implement systems that safeguard information and possible databases on residents.
- Unexpected uses. I know to have special attention to the data collected on a individual who initially have a utility purpose with a specific consent by the user and that, later they are used for another purpose.
- Inappropriate legislation and safety over data. Legislation should be implemented that regulates the handling, registration and freedom of the information.
- Discrimination. The specialists are concerned about how the algorithms are going to deal with those data for specific communities, social layers differences or possible prejudices of any kind.
- Data quality. Data inaccurate, incomplete or biased may lead to poor decision-making with discriminatory results or little ethical.
How to improve data privacy in cities?
We have already seen the danger and risk involved use of data in large cities. Are contingencies that must be controlled through different tools that from the administrations must be assume to reduce unnecessary risks.
- Scheduled management of the privacy. Institutions must establish procedures and practices that ensure resources for a proper monitoring and auditing.
- Transparency and consent. Involve people and communities so that understand why information is collected and how it is used your personal data offering participation options whenever possible.
- Local storage. The data is collected for analysis only and over areas specific. Information exchanges should be very controlled.
- Minimize the data. It must of collect the necessary data only that they provide relevance to achieve a specific purpose.
- Supplier management. They must there are evaluation and supervision tools as well as monitoring and good practices in the security aspect and privacy on all those entities that treat the information.
- Disidentification. Information of be centralized and monitored so that there are no leaks.
The different administrations of the cities together with providers and different community organizations should work together to address the principles and issues principles of privacy in the city. of being able to reap the benefits of a society rich in data and minimize threats to the privacy of people and civil liberties Access to the reference report issued by Future Of Privacy Forum from HERE.
Some articles of interest:
- Understanding Urban Landscapes
- How cities evolve
- The landscapes of America
- Techniques of sustainable sanitation systems
- Ecological urbanism
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