Privacy Concerns of Smart Cities Projects

 

There is no exact definition of a smart city. Some individuals have their ideas concerning what they envision to be smart cities. However, despite the differences in opinions of how a smart city should be, some things remain clear: a smart city utilizes information technology to enhance the standard of living.

The level of tech used in smart cities ultimately allows a super-efficient city. This efficiency will be needed in the coming years when the population of cities inevitably explode. Recent research has analyzed investments in smart cities to increase by 48% in a space of five years.

The establishment of a smart city is projected to introduce several economic advantages. For one, smart cities are bound to create a multiplier effect in the economy of that city. Since companies and firms will be encouraged to build offices in the smart city, the overall GDP and per capita income will experience growth.

Resources like energy and water will also be managed. Sensors in the city will tackle the issue of pipe leaks and alert city officials to rectify the problem. A great example of this is observed in Cape Town, where water consumption was reduced by an average of 50%.

Major Problems Behind Smart City Establishments

The problem behind smart cities is embedded in the most important element of its creation: data collection. To function effectively, a smart city needs significant amounts of data. Accompanying a large storage of data is the privacy issue. Smart city data can be used for adverse means which include its utilization against the people.

Scandals about the government spying on its people have been exposed. What can stop the government from using the data of the people against the people? Privacy is a human right. It is what gives us the freedom to make our choices. What happens when this privilege gets revoked?

Also, there’s the issue of the centralized data storage getting hacked. Cyber threats will surely probe the storage systems that are always online for weaknesses. Once a weakness is found and user data is exposed, what could stop criminals from carrying out their activities? We’ve seen several instances of this over the years when data from big firms get leaked.

Possible Ways to stop Smart City Privacy Misuse

Before the establishment of a smart city, there should be rules protecting the populace against privacy infringement. Data should only be recorded when necessary and identification associated with the data should also be discouraged. For instance, sensors only need to determine the number of people at a bus-stop and not recognize their identities.

Super-strong cybersecurity measures against theft of data also need to be implemented before creating a smart city. The use of security tools like VPNs should also be encouraged. You can ensure privacy with a VPN, an app that encrypts your online traffic, shielding you from spying by the government and hackers, especially on networks managed by the government.