Internet of Things Brings More Surveillance and Vulnerabilities to Cities

Too often, smart city technology is described as an innocuous tool, but Adam Greenfield argues the technology acquiring this data will be used to distribute city resources, an inherently political act.

1 minute read

June 10, 2017, 1:00 PM PDT

By Casey Brazeal @northandclark


Drone

Karpati / Shutterstock

As smart cities collect more of our information and give cities more data, it's imperative that we understand that the automation of data collection does not make the information perfect or unbiased. In Radical Technologies: The Design of Everyday Life (which has been excerpted and adapted for the Guardian) Adam Greenfield argues that proponents of connected cities exaggerate the benefits of data. "Strongly implicit, is the presumption that whatever policies are arrived at in this way will be applied transparently, dispassionately and in a manner free from politics." No perfect responses to all civic problems exist, and pretending that algorithms can deliver such results endangers cities. "We need to understand that creating an algorithm intended to guide the distribution of civic resources is itself a political act," Greenfield argues.

Greenfield's arguments cover more than cities and deserve to be read in their entirety. While he's not trying to pretend the world can disconnect or should, his investigation centers around cautions like this one. "Advocates of smart cities often seem to proceed as if it is self-evident that each of our acts has a single, salient meaning, which can be recognised, made sense of and acted upon remotely by an automated system, without any possibility of error," a dangerous oversimplification.

Tuesday, June 6, 2017 in The Guardian

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Get top-rated, practical training

Wastewater pouring out from a pipe.

Alabama: Trump Terminates Settlements for Black Communities Harmed By Raw Sewage

Trump deemed the landmark civil rights agreement “illegal DEI and environmental justice policy.”

April 13, 2025 - Inside Climate News

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

April 16, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Black and white photos of camp made up of small 'earthquake shacks' in Dolores Park in 1906 after the San Francisco earthquake.

The 120 Year Old Tiny Home Villages That Sheltered San Francisco’s Earthquake Refugees

More than a century ago, San Francisco mobilized to house thousands of residents displaced by the 1906 earthquake. Could their strategy offer a model for the present?

April 15, 2025 - Charles F. Bloszies

White BART public transit train at Coliseum station in Oakland, California.

NRDC Releases State Transportation Scorecard

The Getting Transportation Right report highlights which states are making the most progress on reducing transportation emissions and improving access to clean transportation options.

28 minutes ago - Natural Resources Defense Council

Canada geese on lawn in city park with high-rise buildings in background in Vancouver, Canada.

Study: How Urban Parks Can Support Biodiversity

Conservation and recreation can go hand in hand in urban green spaces designed to serve both humans and local wildlife.

1 hour ago - Inside Climate News

Rendering of Texas Central high-speed rail train stopped at covered platform in Dallas, Texas

High-Speed Rail Tracker

Smart Cities Dive follows high-speed rail developments around the country

2 hours ago - Smart Cities Dive