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It's Getting Harder To Reside Anonymously In a Modern City (citiesofthefuture.eu)

Posted by Soulskill on from the aren't-you-the-one-from-that-place? dept.

dkatana writes: In a panel on 'Privacy in the Smart City' during this month's Smart City World Congress, Dr. Carmela Troncoso, a researcher from Spain, argued that data anonymization itself is almost impossible without using advanced cryptography. Our every transaction leaves a digital marker that can be mined by anyone with the right tools or enough determination.

Most modern cities today are full of sensors and connected devices. Some are considering giving away free WiFi in exchange of personal data. LinkNYC, which was present at the congress as exhibitor, is one such example of this. The panelists insisted that it is the duty of world leaders to safeguard their citizens' privacy, just as corporations are answerable to leaks and hacks.

5 of 100 comments (clear)

  1. IMHO that's good by argStyopa · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Personally, I think the anonymity of people in massive cities is the source of many of the problems of city life.

    A lot of urbanites poo-pooh the closed-minded clannishness of small town life, but part of the VALUE of this life (I live in a MN town of 1500) is that people know each other. They know each others' families, they know their histories.

    If you're an asshole, people know it and will remember it. So you make SURE you don't act like an asshole. Cities? You'll likely never see that person again, so who gives a shit?

    --
    -Styopa
    1. Re:IMHO that's good by dablow · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Anonymity is what enabled the modern world.

      It was because the anonymity cities provided people where able to question religious dogma, dared to question the authority of king and queens etc.....

      Yes, having anonymity also leads to people being douche bags to each other, that is the price to pay for a technological civilization.

      BTW last I checked, small towns also had a lot of the same issues as big cities. Murder, drug use, spousal abuse, etc happen there too. And although I have not looked into the numbers, probably in the same proportions as major cities. So like if there is 3 murders per 100,000 in a mjor urban area, that means if you divide up the population into 66 towns of 1500 people, only 3 of them will experience a murder. Which leads to the perception that it "never happens".

    2. Re:IMHO that's good by JackieBrown · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Small towns are full of bigots, pedophiles, racists and thieves and everyone is too afraid

      Ahh. Just like large cities, then? Except in a small town, you can learn who to avoid.

    3. Re:IMHO that's good by Noble713 · · Score: 3, Insightful

      If you're an asshole, people know it and will remember it. So you make SURE you don't act like an asshole.

      Things that nosy small town people consider assholish:
      1. Inter-racial relationships. "Ohhh, didn't you know your daughter is dating a gaijin? And a black man at that? You must be so ashamed."
      2. Material wealth. "Mr. X is driving a Lexus now. He must think he's better than us. What did he do to get that money anyway, living and working out here? Probably something illegal."
      3. Niche music/TV/fashion tastes. "Did you hear that noise Mr. X was playing? He called it 'death metal'. That's the path to the Devil. Keep your kids away from him."

      I've lived in small towns and large, both in the US and in Japan. The problem with small towns is they are almost always subject to groupthink of the lowest common denominator. If you are a vanilla human being, sitting close to the 50% percentile of every possible normal distribution, it probably sounds like heaven....But if you are a statistical outlier, a minority in any way (ethnicity/religion/hobbies/sexual preference/whatever), you are at the mercy of the idiots around you. At least in cities you have access to a large enough variety of people that you can form social connections with like-minded individuals. And since they are exposed to different people, the population in general is more willing to mind their own business "Hey, if that's your thing, do what works for you."

    4. Re:IMHO that's good by Shadow+IT+Ninja · · Score: 3, Insightful

      But the smart city isn't addressing this issue at all. You are still anonymous to other ordinary citizens. It's corporations and government agencies you are no longer anonymous to.