Ethical Analyses of Smart City Applications

Abstract

When it comes to smart cities, one of the most important components is data. To enable smart city applications, data needs to be collected, stored, and processed to accomplish intelligent tasks. In this paper we discuss smart cities and the use of new and existing technologies to improve multiple aspects of these cities. There are also social and environmental aspects that have become important in smart cities that create concerns regarding ethics and ethical conduct. Thus we discuss various issues relating to the appropriate and ethical use of smart city applications and their data. Many smart city projects are being implemented and here we showcase several examples to provide context for our ethical analysis. Law enforcement, structure efficiency, utility efficiency, and traffic flow control applications are some areas that could have the most gains in smart cities; yet, they are the most pervasive as the applications performing these activities must collect and process the most private data about the citizens. The secure and ethical use of this data must be a top priority within every project. The paper also provides a list of challenges for smart city applications pertaining in some ways to ethics. These challenges are drawn from the studied examples of smart city projects to bring attention to ethical issues and raise awareness of the need to address and regulate such use of data.

Cyber–Physical Systems Forensics: Today and Tomorrow

“…Some of these factors include the following. Furthermore, the ethics and ethical conduct aspects pose an additional area to be considered carefully, for example [83] discusses similar issues in smart cities. Discussing of this aspect is beyond the scope of this paper.…”

Data-Driven Security for Smart City Systems: Carving a Trail

“…We have seen such incidents in various systems and the threat is a lot bigger when we are dealing with a smart city system that has data about each and every part of the city and its residents. Unauthorized access to the data is a big risk [69] and we also have to consider the data ownership issues and access control to reduce privacy invasion risks [70].…”

The Coerced User and the Era of Smart City Dissonance

“…Internet of Things (IoT) sensors, and optimization software to make itself cleaner, safer, and more efficient and connected [1][2][3][4][5], thereby providing value-added features for city services and generating elevated wellbeing for its inhabitants; i.e., its residents, workers and visitors. Today, in order to enjoy and benefit from many innovative services, inhabitants must be digitally connected; and, knowingly or not, share ever more information about themselves with the city's services, revealing their locations, habits, and needs.…”

“…This increased connectivity and the obligation to share information-the new, unwritten rule of the smart city-raise concerns regarding privacy, data security, safety, and ethics. Prior work suggests that these problems can be addressed via holistic co-design approaches for city services, involving all city stakeholders [3]. Our research raises a different question, however: As a precursor to the design process, in this era of always-connected and selfoptimizing cities, we must first understand the identity and characteristics of the "smart city users.…”

“…This is due to the "smart city revolution" which uses connectivity technologies and data-optimization software to make our city safer and more efficient [1], thereby increasing our wellbeing [2][3][4]. As the smart city is based on data and connectivity [2][3][4][5], it requires a societal change in order to provide the public with its promised value. The city's inhabitants (residents, workers and visitors) must be digitally connected-a change that impacts their way of life.…”