{"id":285023,"date":"2021-06-27T10:17:00","date_gmt":"2021-06-27T07:17:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/smart-cities-are-the-future-but-they-might-threaten-privacy\/"},"modified":"2021-06-27T10:17:00","modified_gmt":"2021-06-27T07:17:00","slug":"smart-cities-are-the-future-but-they-might-threaten-privacy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/smart-cities-are-the-future-but-they-might-threaten-privacy\/","title":{"rendered":"# Smart cities are the future, but they might threaten privacy"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_85 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a3848ed8c69e\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a3848ed8c69e\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/smart-cities-are-the-future-but-they-might-threaten-privacy\/#Smart_cities_without_intermediaries\" >Smart cities without intermediaries<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<p>&#8220;<strong># Smart cities are the future, but they might threaten privacy <\/strong>&#8221;<br \/>\n<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/images.cointelegraph.com\/images\/840_aHR0cHM6Ly9zMy5jb2ludGVsZWdyYXBoLmNvbS91cGxvYWRzLzIwMjEtMDYvN2YwM2E3MGMtM2VlYy00M2JmLTk3YzEtZGU2MzAwNmVlNmY3LmpwZw==.jpg\" \/><\/p>\n<div class=\"post-content\" data-v-128018ef>You might have heard the term \u201csmart city\u201d before \u2014 a futuristic, utopian idea that we might see implemented in the foreseeable future. Indeed, some metropolises \u2014 like Singapore, Seoul, Amsterdam, Oslo and Tokyo \u2014 are already on their way to becoming \u201csmart.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>So, what makes a city smart? That label is still quite abstract and might entail different meanings, but if you go the boring route and actually Google it, you\u2019ll come across this unified definition: an interconnected urban area that utilizes various sensors and other methods to collect data and use it to improve its operations. <\/p>\n<p>In other words, a smart city is a place where devices are connected to a common infrastructure. As a result, everything h<a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">app<\/a>ening within that infrastructure is analyzed in real-time for various goals, like reducing costs and resource consumption, or increasing contact between citizens and government.<\/p>\n<p><strong><em>Related: <\/em><\/strong><strong><em>Talking digital future: Smart cities<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>As you might have already thought, however, connecting data and managing access to smart devices is a slippery slope. The dangers of it were probably best shown by Bansky\u2019s 2007 mural he painted on the wall of a Royal Mail office in London. It depicted a child writing \u201cOne Nation Under CCTV\u201d while being watched by a police officer and a dog. The whole piece was fittingly put together near an actual CCTV camera. <\/p>\n<p>Yes, public video surveillance might help the police to collect evidence (and potentially prevent crime, although its efficiency has been <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/news.bbc.co.uk\/2\/hi\/uk_news\/england\/leicestershire\/4294693.stm\">questioned<\/a>), but the dystopian side effects it causes to society \u2014 like the feeling of being watched at all times and potential cases of CCTV abuse \u2014 are <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.aclu.org\/other\/whats-wrong-public-video-surveillance\">staggering<\/a>. <\/p>\n<p>And that\u2019s happening in a democratic society. Now, imagine this dangerous, unpredictable dark side to building smart city applications under an authoritarian regime. Actually, there\u2019s a good existing example: China\u2019s infamous <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/social-mediaa\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"1\" title=\"Social Media\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">social<\/a> credit system \u2014 a set of databases to monitor the \u201ctrustworthiness\u201d of individuals \u2014 that essentially <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.wired.co.uk\/article\/china-social-credit-system-explained\">tracks<\/a> your life 24 hours a day, assessing your loyalty to the state, and decides whether or not you\u2019re good enough citizen to enjoy shorter wait times at hospitals or have priority for school admissions and employment.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Smart_cities_without_intermediaries\"><\/span>Smart cities without intermediaries <span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>After six years of doing research and development projects where we\u2019ve been experimenting with the InterPlanetary File System (IPFS), Ethereum and Substrate to build safe Internet of Things (IoT) applications, we identified one part that can be changed to avoid most side effects.<\/p>\n<p>The smart city infrastructure design has a single point of failure. When you try to access services\/devices (like renting a car through a carsharing application), your data gets transferred to an IT company, and upon reviewing it, that IT company decides whether to grant you access to its services or not. While the company has to assess the risks before providing you its services (if they are not essential), this process is not fair to the end-user. Every time someone gets to collect data, there\u2019s a chance it will proceed to collect more data than needed or use your sensitive data for extra profit (like selling it to data brokers).<\/p>\n<p><strong><em>Related: <\/em><\/strong><strong><em>The data economy is a dystopian nightmare<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Luckily, blockchain <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/technology\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"4\" title=\"Technology\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">technology<\/a> allows us to combine all the economical and technical details of a given transaction into one \u201catomic\u201d transaction that no middleman can read and abuse. It enables people to send messages directly to smart devices (vending machines, cars, lockers, or parking meters) with payment and all the technical details for services they\u2019re buying.<\/p>\n<p>Now, imagine that all these devices are interconnected through cross-chain messaging passing (XCMP) and are fully synchronized with each other, analyzing your transactions solely with one purpose: to provide better service. On top of that, Polkadot-enabled IoT devices get to share security achieved through the relay chain \u2014 the core component of its network \u2014 and other complex mechanisms that prevent most attack vectors by design. <\/p>\n<p>Doesn\u2019t that sound exactly like the utopian smart city future we described above, minus all the negative side effects? <\/p>\n<p>Running a smart city via blockchain means thousands of transactions per minute, which is something the congested Ethereum network wouldn\u2019t be able to handle \u2014 at least at its current stage. Polkadot, on the other hand, can provide both economic and transactional scalability by enabling a common set of validators to secure multiple blockchains, evenly spreading transactions across them.<\/p>\n<p class=\"post-content__disclaimer\"><em>This article does not contain investment advice or recommendations. Every investment and trading move involves risk, and readers should conduct their own research when making a decision.<\/em><\/p>\n<p class=\"post-content__disclaimer\"><em>The views, thoughts and opinions expressed here are the author\u2019s alone and do not necessarily reflect or represent the views and opinions of Cointelegraph.<\/em><\/p>\n<div>\n<div style=\"background: rgb(239, 239, 239); border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); padding: 10px;\"><strong>Sergei Lonshakov<\/strong> is the founder and visionary leader at Airalab and architect of Robonomics Network \u2014 a futuristic, secure, serverless Internet of Things platform on top of Ethereum and Polkadot.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><template data-name=\"subscription_form\" data-type=\"consulting_newsletter\"><\/template><\/div>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMLG0nwswvr63Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">For forums sites go to <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/forum.buradabiliyorum.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Forum.BuradaBiliyorum.Com<\/a><\/span><\/strong>\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/news\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"2\" title=\"News\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">News<\/a> articles, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/general\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">General category.<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/cointelegraph.com\/news\/smart-cities-are-the-future-but-they-might-threaten-privacy\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;# Smart cities are the future, but they might threaten privacy &#8221; You might have heard the term \u201csmart city\u201d before \u2014 a futuristic, utopian idea that we might see implemented in the foreseeable future. Indeed, some metropolises \u2014 like Singapore, Seoul, Amsterdam, Oslo and Tokyo \u2014 are already on their way to becoming \u201csmart.\u201d\u00a0&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":285024,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/images.cointelegraph.com\/images\/1200_aHR0cHM6Ly9zMy5jb2ludGVsZWdyYXBoLmNvbS91cGxvYWRzLzIwMjEtMDYvN2YwM2E3MGMtM2VlYy00M2JmLTk3YzEtZGU2MzAwNmVlNmY3LmpwZw==.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[15047,74894,77345,72366,79289,4965],"class_list":["post-285023","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-general","tag-privacy","tag-blockchain","tag-smart-city","tag-data","tag-internet-of-things","tag-technology"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/285023","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=285023"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/285023\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/285024"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=285023"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=285023"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=285023"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}