Hi everyone! To get you more prepared for our topic on Smart Cities, I'd like to reiterate a few reasons why the concept is so important and a few misconceptions surrounding it.
The main draw of Smart Cities is their ability to collect user-driven data in order to streamline energy efficiency to fit each citizen's needs. By increasing efficiency, Smart Cities also have a huge potential to increase sustainability. Smart Cities could become more and more popular as our technology and understanding grows, so it is important to discuss their implementation and possible challenges that could arise.
The idea of Smart Cities is very complex, so the topic comes with myths and misconceptions. One key misconception about Smart Cities is that with advanced technology usually comes alienation and automation. However, Smart Cities are actually meant to bring communities together and increase the quality of life. Additionally, a major concern is the use of personal data. When people hear about the collection of data, they assume that the data is being used for malicious purposes. However, Smart City data is collected for the user's benefit by making their lives easier and more efficient. Keep all these things in mind when researching your country's policy and trying to create feasible solutions!
Wow! This is some great content!
ReplyDeleteThe delegation of Nepal believes the implementation of smart cities will be part of the solution in achieving multiple of the sustainable development goals. Of course the implementation of smart cities will require lots of information to be collected in order to assure that the developments within the city are addressing actual issues. Overly invasive data analysis can make the populous of cities uncomfortable, especially if the data is being out through or taken from a non government company or from a government they distrust, as no one would want data concerning their personal life to available to to others. A solution to this would be implementing data encryption services to prevent a coupling or correlation of data inputted into a system with a specific person, allowing those who are giving data into the system anonymity.
ReplyDeleteGreetings from China!
ReplyDeleteThe delegation of China agrees with the concerns of Nepal! The number one obstacle of smart cities (China has more than half the world's pilot cities) is having to do with how data is used and shared and to what extent companies have control over infrastructure. This delegate appreciates and commends Nepal for considering encryption and would love to hear specifics about legislation that would incorporate this but at this time observes that data collected by smart cities in China in Hangzhou and Shanghai that data collected is almost always utilized by looking for trends rather than mapping data to individuals. For example, one Smart City feature used is tracking real-time traffic data to use smart traffic lights that prevent multiple red light stops and prioritzes emergency services. With aspects like this, China believes that the benefits from this outweigh privacy concerns. The delegation of China would love to hear specific data and privacy concerns and is definately for data security if implemented correctly. See you in committee :)
Hey all!
ReplyDeleteSo far the information that China and Nepal have been providing have been really eye opening, so we just wanted to push out some of our own view points.
The delegation of Belarus is really happy to see all the great ideas being thrown out here! Belarus, in recent years, has made a careful balance between data privacy and utilization. With the approval of our president Mr. Lukashenko, we've allowed for more free flow of data while having strict policies on person-specific data management and abuse. We advocate that we here at UNIDO push for policies that allow for the flow of data, but should still make sure individuals don't have their private data abused. One possible idea is to ask smart cities to use person-nonspecific data. Cities don't need to record sensitive private data to run well. Instead, cities should look to collect data that shouldn't be linked to individuals. Cities should be looking towards trends in activity instead (like traffic trends, energy consumption trends, etc.). Cities, to show transparency, should also provide open data portals for the public for them to be able to see that their data is being used correctly and that this data can be accessed by innovators and entrepreneurs looking to build innovative solutions. We've had a lot of success with this here in Belarus. By providing person-nonspecific data and giving data to the public about trends and important city-specific information, we are allow the public to contribute to ideas and also letting them suit their own lifestyles to become more efficient and convenient.
We would like to open up this question to everyone here. We are interested to hear what all of you think about privacy!
See all of you in committee in just 1 short day! The delegation of Belarus can't wait to meet the other delegates and exchange innovative ideas!
Best Regards,
Belarus
When creating legislation for smart city data collection, it’s important to recognize when user consent is necessary and when it’s not. Smart city data collection is not just about collecting personal information, it’s also about collecting information from nonhuman sources: weather and infrastructure services like water, gas, and electricity. Obviously, citizen consent is not an obstacle when working with nonhuman data sources. If citizen privacy is a major concern than resolutions should stress the impact nonhuman data sources can provide. Smart cities can collect a terrifically large amount of data without ever invading a person’s privacy. That being said personal data can also be a vital tool for smart city designers - but it’s up to each individual government to decide how to regulate citizen data. Many universal data privacy law codes already exist - the most prominent being the GDPR. As long as smart cities fall in line with applicable data privacy laws, there should be no problem protecting citizen data.
ReplyDelete- The Philippines
@Belarus,
ReplyDeleteChina wholeheartedly supports your assertions! Almost all data collected is not person specific and therefore finds common success with your country! However, the delegation of China recognizes a responsibility to protect its citizens and therefore in 2017 has created stricter legislation pertaining to the use of data collected without individualized contracts of consent as data concerns especially of that of China's infrastructure is of utmost concern when considering the globalization of the private sector. China warns that although most data collection is harmless and extremely beneficial for smart cities, a nation must err on the side of caution for the sake of its people! Revise legislation!
-China
See you in committee tomorrow!