Smart Cities – Part 4
I have presented plenty of information in previous posts about Smart Cities, including the 2019 federal budget and a report from C40 Cities, etc.
1) Report from the Government of Canada’s Canadian Security Intelligence Service:
Smart Cities and National Security
Quote:
There are many definitions of a ‘smart city.’ Here, we refer to environments where digital technologies are used to enhance the quality and efficiency of municipal services. A ‘smart’ city collects and analyses data interactions with, and usage of, public infrastructure in order to improve service delivery and user experience. This data is collected through connected sensors and individual devices which are part of centralized networks that manage service delivery.
Quote:
…
To give you a sense of the kind of information that could be collected in a smart city, consider these smart city applications: smart utilities, smart homes, autonomous vehicles, smart hospitals, smart commerce and smart public transportation. To provide one example, smart city technologies used to manage traffic or transportation might collect data that provide a picture of individuals’ movements in a city, and other related data. This personal information could be collected from sensors, such as audio and video recording devices or vehicle licence plate readers, or from personal mobile devices.
Just a couple of examples of concerns expressed:
/// POSSIBLE HARMFUL IMPACTS OF A SMART CITY BREACH
OR INADEQUATE DATA GOVERNANCE
…
• Unauthorized access to, retention of, or exploitation of, Canadians’ personal and corporate data, which could be used to facilitate further targeting of individuals and communities for foreign interference or espionage.
Examples of such activities would include:
o Capture and misuse of personal information or surveillance footage.
o Disruption, theft, or corruption of Canadian data, information and systems.
o Espionage against targeted communities, and subsequent threat activities against members of the community such as harassment or intimidation.
• Use of large amounts of Canadian data to support research for the benefit of foreign states in developing advanced military systems and or surveillance programs (e.g. Canadian data used to train AI algorithms of advanced military or intelligence capabilities).
Again, just singling out a couple of CSIS concerns/recommendations. However I hope you get the point that obviously some powerful group is implementing “smart cities” without getting our explicit approval democratically, and I should add that it would be better for us, for the sake of our privacy and health, to not participate in these projects at all. We need to reject them:
/// KEY CONSIDERATIONS FOR SMART CITY ADOPTION
…
• Engage citizens early to ensure awareness and understanding of the privacy and security implications to facilitate meaningful public consultation.
• Be transparent with citizens about the data collected in smart cities and the ways it is used and handled, where it is stored, and how it is protected.
• Do your due diligence. Smart city technology and software vendors, and their supply chains, should be assessed very carefully to ensure that data access, storage, transfer, and use will take place in a manner and location that protects the safety, security and privacy of Canadians.
…
2) Report from the US Government’s U.S.-CHINA ECONOMIC AND SECURITY REVIEW COMMISSION on China’s Smart Cities Development
Summary:
China has become a leader in developing and exporting its smart cities technologies like networked cameras, sensors, and location services—and the rest of the Internet of Things—to collect a wide variety of data in order to control things like traffic, energy usage, and crime, and to augment state power.
The following report, prepared for the Commission by SOS International LLC’s Intelligence Solutions Group, examines China’s rapid implementation of smart cities technologies domestically, including its burgeoning use of surveillance technologies to monitor and repress its population. The report also looks at China’s widespread export of these technologies through a series of country case studies. The United States is a leading destination for these exports, and the report concludes by comparing U.S. versus Chinese capabilities and assessing the national security risks of widespread deployment of Chinese smart cities technologies in U.S. critical infrastructure.
Full Report PDF: China’s Smart Cities Development | January 2020
This is a new, and very interesting mainstream media article on the concerns of CSIS about smart citiess. It seems to be quoting from a different report however. Maybe someone edited the one I just cited above.
Canada’s spy agency warns ‘smart city’ platforms pose security risks By Jim Bronskill | The Canadian Press | March 9, 2023
Quote from the article:
“One of the primary security concerns relating to smart cities is the fact that they necessitate the selection and retention of massive, continuously processed data pools that could be exploited to reveal patterns of individual and societal behaviour,” the report says.
Quote:
The CSIS report, prepared in 2021, was only recently released to The Canadian Press in response to an access-to-information request filed in October of that year.
Quote:
“Smart city devices collect massive amounts of personal data, including biometric data and other information highlighting personal life choices and patterns. Hostile state actors are currently exploring various means of attaining access to future smart city platforms, …”