Jan 13, 2017
Photography: Nils Rasmus Vasli
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Photography: Nils Rasmus Vasli
222 | C Seven Sisters Zenit 3M
Seven Sisters Cliffs , England
Does privacy really exist in a smart city?
By I.T. WatchFox
(Meme generated by imgflip.com)
Nowadays, it can be said that there is none who are unfamiliar with the ‘Smart City’ – a concept of an exploitation of advanced technology and innovation to organize and develop our cities and communities. We are convinced by governments that the Smart Cities will lead to smarter lives with connectivity and convenience. It sounds perfect that technological infrastructures and networks will provide our security with smart devices, solve environmental issues and arrange transportation in urban areas, but the point is that all things in Smart Cities are mostly driven by collecting our personal data and monitoring our behavior 24/7! So, how will the fate of our privacy and freedom be? Are we willing to sell them to our governments?
A plan to engineer the Smart Cities seems good on paper. It is commonly claimed that the integration of technologies such as Artificial intelligence (AI), Face Recognition, Censors, Internet of Things (IoT) and Big Data will be used innovatively for surveilling behaviors of people and allocating resources in many capital cities.
Around 700 millions of CCTVs are going to cover all areas in Beijing. For example, a plan for ‘social credit system’ in which its citizens may have to hit minimum ‘social scores’ receivable from both individual and economic activities.
(Video from Youtube.com)
(Beijing is considered as the smartest city nowadays)
Another example is that the US police in New York have exploited the Big Data from CCTV to forecast crime possibility and lampposts equipped with microphones to detect gunshots and daily conversation of people as a result from a stricter security measure.
(Picture from alamy.com)
Departing from promoting friendly-environmental behavior, advertising LED screens attached to smart bins in London also have a hidden function of tracking wireless signal from phones passing nearby for an advantage of analyzing targeted group.
(Picture from v3.co.uk)
Whatever the reason would be, the incontrovertible fact remains that these technologies tend to seriously breach our privacy. While governments commit to providing us ideal lives with more facilities, security, and sustainability, we may have to sacrifice our humanity for them. I view that living in the Smart Cities is like being restrained in a ‘big boarding school’. Government compared as a teacher can monitor and dictate our doings. If they can trace and track every move of us 24/7, it means that it is not difficult for them to control our daily activities. Who knows? One day, with the aim of promoting healthy lives, governments may force us to wake up early, exercise and eat certain meals based on individual information gathered from those electronic measures. What will happen if governments can cooperate with big-tech companies to access all IoT in our houses?
Actually, the Smart Cities also make me afraid of a situation in sci-fi movies such as Hunger Game, I-robot and particularly Seven Sisters, in which there is no limit of what government can control over human beings.
(Video from youtube.com)
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Day 891 of 'A Photograph Every Day For The Rest Of My Life' Thursday 4th January 2018 Today's photograph taken whilst on a blustery walk with Isaac in Cuckmere Haven, East Sussex www.gillcopeland.com
VIDEO ART / MUSIC VIDEO – MIOTEK – YOU LET THE THING GO WRONG WWW.SEVENSISTERSRECORDS.NET / Bristol
https://sevensistersrecords.bandcamp.com/album/various-artists-six-ep
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eZUQCJGUpsU
Fighting on the side of Kylo Ren, Darth Vader, and the Seven sister today! Jedi beware! #StarWars #Darkside #SevenSister #HilowRun #DarthVader #Jedi #7thsister photo taken by @sexykatkashi (at Disneyland)
Ready for the ride at #eroica this year. #vintage #vintagebike #vintagebicycle #ride #sevensister #whitecliffs #vintageraleigh #vintagestyle #eroicabritannia #pushbike #gentsbelike