IfG.CC -
Institute for eGovernment

AI is increasingly becoming embedded in smart city technologies, but often these integrations are not obvious to the general public. However, the proliferation of Generative AI is making AI systems more accessible and relevant to people and stimulating new questions about data privacy, transparency, and digital rights.

Because urban technologies almost always involve industry-led solutions that operate in the public domain, addressing data ownership and governance issues is complex. Addressing the multi-layered issues surrounding these smart technologies requires thoughtful discussion, ideally between a collaborative group of city leaders, residents, and researchers.

Fears of surveillance are big in urban resident’s minds

Amazon announced with great fanfare in 2018 that an area of Northern Virginia near Washington, D.C., would be the location of its much-sought-after second headquarters. The area would be known as ‘National Landing,’ prompting residents of Arlington County, Virginia, to ask, “What the heck is that?” The National Landing name was a new umbrella term and part of a rebranding campaign by Amazon, developer JBG Smith, and local economic development committees. National Landing was never a term used by locals, and some residents mocked the name, saying the place didn’t even exist. Other residents were simply confused.

The Information Technology and Innovation Foundation details ways that smart cities can protect citizen data.

In recent years, cities all over the country have taken strides to modernize with emerging technologies that make communities smarter, safer and more connected. And with the rapid evolution of technology, they’ve only scratched the surface when it comes to smart city capabilities. But with data collection and Internet of Things (IoT) devices powering these innovations, there are always concerns about personal privacy.

The Government Accountability Office reviewed data-mining programs at the State Department, FBI, Internal Revenue Service, Small Business Administration and the Agriculture Department's Risk Management Agency. Data mining is an effort to glean information about individuals and behavior patterns from sources such as government records and private-sector databases.

Of five data mining programs at five different agencies, “none followed all key procedures” for privacy and security measures, GAO said.

The word privacy does not appear in the Declaration of Independence, the U.S. Constitution, or even their poor cousin, the Articles of Confederation.

But as we move into the Information Age, privacy is a hot-button issue. Giant databases fill up with every aspect of citizens' personal lives. Corporations buy, sell and consolidate this information with frightening efficiency, and identity theft is the crime du jour. Citizens and lawmakers are increasingly concerned that sensitive information will be abused, and no one holds more sensitive information about the average U.S. citizen than the government.

The panel, which is sponsored by the Health and Human Services Department, aims to identify and harmonize existing information standards so that e-health records can be exchanged among institutions.

Government privacy employees, as well as the contractors and vendors who serve federal and state agencies, are invited to seek a new privacy credential under a program backed by major IT companies including IBM Corp., Mitre Corp. and SRA International Inc.

The Certified Information Privacy Professional/Government (CIPP/G) credentialing program is the first publicly available privacy certification for government professionals, according to the International Association of Privacy Professionals.

The agencies' lapses either "increased the risk that personal information could be improperly exposed or altered" or "limited the ability of the public -- including those individuals whose information was used -- to participate in the management of that personal information," the Government Accountability Office said.