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2024 PIT-UN Summit Voices: Smart Cities
from the October, 2024 PIT UNiverse Newsletter
On November 7 and 8, 2024, leaders from across academia, government, civil society and industry will gather at San José State University for the PIT-UN Summit, the marquee annual event for public interest technologists.
In the coming weeks, you’ll hear from our panelists and keynote speakers about the big issues they are excited to discuss at the Summit. In-person registration is now closed, but you can join us virtually through the registration link below.
Join Us Virtually
Register for a virtual pass and gain access to two days of dynamic, interactive keynotes, panels and presentations, plus exclusive content from the PIT-UN Summit Live! studio.
We hear a lot about Smart Cities these days – but whose interests are centered in these conversations? Brian Hofer, Executive Director of Secure Justice, and Professor Ahmed Banafa of San José State University will speak on this topic during Day 2 of the Summit.
Brian Hofer, Executive Director of Secure Justice
Across the country, municipalities are implementing emerging – and often unproven – technologies intended to improve our lives as we navigate through traffic, approve development plans, and consider how to reduce our environmental footprint.
Applications that seem archaic today, like pedestrian counters, are being integrated into generative AI tools that promise to reduce congestion, crime, and carbon emissions, while making delivery of services more efficient.
"How cities deal with data privacy trade-offs will determine whether smart city applications do more harm than good."
Can these promises be realized? It’s possible. As with most things in life, these decisions come with trade-offs. As data becomes less siloed, greater insights and efficiencies can be gained. But they come at the potential cost of intrusive and abusive impacts increasing on privacy, such as profiling, stalking, and identity theft. Municipalities have become a prime target for ransomware attacks. Data breaches of both public and private entities affect millions of people.
Every day, we share enormous amounts of data with private companies. While we might willingly do so for convenience, there can be immense consequences that result from forfeiting our privacy so casually. As jurisdictions around the country criminalize reproductive and gender-affirming care, law enforcement is leveraging data to enforce restrictions, such as tracking GPS coordinates on personal devices that show digital records of a visit to an abortion provider, or accessing online searches for mifepristone. As instances like these become more prevalent, public interest technologists and policymakers must grapple with issues of data privacy and constitutionality.
How cities deal with data privacy trade-offs will determine whether smart city applications do more harm than good. For example, the use of real-time citywide facial recognition, which could help locate missing persons, leads to false arrests when utilized improperly. Can cities protect data sufficiently to earn the trust required to facilitate widespread adoption and effective macro-level planning efforts?
I have worked with 100 municipalities across the country to establish privacy commissions that help vet these technologies and examine data collection practices. I’ve witnessed a range of expertise, financial resources, and policy decisions as cities struggle with these difficult questions. One of the most promising models is the Civilian Oversight Body, which provides local residents with opportunities to participate in the rulemaking around smart city applications. The promise of new methods like this equals or surpasses the perils we face, and I look forward to sharing and discussing more concrete examples with my co-panelists at the PIT-UN Summit.
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Ahmed Banafa, Professor in the College of Engineering, San José State University
The topic of smart cities is becoming increasingly important for public interest technology due to several factors. Rapid urbanization is leading to overcrowding, infrastructure strain, environmental degradation, and other challenges, and smart city technologies offer potential solutions.
Advances in the Internet of Things, AI, edge computing, and data analytics are enabling innovative approaches to urban challenges. There is also a heightened global focus on sustainability, with smart cities playing a key role in reducing energy consumption, waste, and pollution.
"The ethical implications of smart cities must be addressed as these technologies become more pervasive."
Moreover, smart city technologies can enhance public health and safety by monitoring air and water quality, traffic congestion, and crime rates, while promoting economic development by attracting businesses and creating jobs.
At the PIT-UN Summit, I am particularly interested in discussing several key topics:
- Exploring the ethical implications of smart cities, including data collection, privacy, and surveillance, which must be addressed as these technologies become more pervasive.
- Ensuring equity and inclusion as smart city technologies are built, so they benefit all citizens.
- Thecollaboration among governments, businesses, and citizens required for success
- Sustainably financing smart cities projects
- Establishing metrics for measuring the impact of smart cities to ensure that they deliver tangible benefits to society, individuals and the environment.
PIT-UN SUMMIT
The Public Interest Technology University Network (PIT-UN) reimagines its annual convening and launches, PIT-UN Summit 2024, the marquee event for public interest technologists from across academia, government, civil society, and industry.
