Municipalities that deploy sensors in partnership with tech companies are confronted with a host of ethical questions. They must decide which behavior is suitable to track and whether data should be sold to marketers.
While people already cede privacy with every mouse click and credit card purchase, smart cities raise the stakes since the movements and habits of citizens can be tabulated. “The difference is that with a smart city this data will be centralized and easy to access,” notes Weston, CEO of London-based data-science consultancy Profusion.
Laws and regulations could provide some protection. But the executive cautions that policymakers routinely fail to keep pace with digital innovations. Even without new laws, he recommends clear guidelines to avoid a citizen backlash.
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This story was originally published by Citiscope, a nonprofit news outlet that covers innovations in cities around the world. More at Citiscope.org.