Abstract
AbstractInternet of Things (IoT) devices such as connected sensors are increasingly being used in the public sector, often deployed and collecting data in public spaces. A theme commonly seen in the rhetoric surrounding public space IoT initiatives is empowerment, and these deployments are broadly perceived as beneficial by policy makers. However, such technology presents new governance challenges. It is important to ask who is empowered and who benefits, and we must ensure that such technological interventions follow democratic principles and are trusted by citizens. In this paper, we investigate how risk, transparency, and data governance require careful consideration in this domain, describing work which investigates how these combine to form components of trusted IoT ecosystems. This includes an overview of the landscape of public space IoT deployments, consideration of how they may often be subsumed in idealized smart city focused rhetoric, and discussion of how methodologies such as design fiction in community settings can uncover potential risks and concerns. Our findings suggest that agency, value and intent associated with IoT systems are key components that must be made transparent, particularly when multiple actors and stakeholders are involved. We suggest that good governance requires consideration of these systems in their entirety, throughout the full planning, implementation, and evaluation process, and in consultation with multiple stakeholders who are impacted, including the public. To achieve this effectively, we argue for transparency at the device and system level, which may require legislative change.
Highlights
The Internet of Things (IoT) is a major growth area with significant economic and social implications (OECD, 2015)
Device deployments may be undertaken by public sector organizations to gather data for civic purposes, activities which are often discussed alongside rhetoric of the “smart city” (Kitchin, 2014)
We report on work examining the governance at the national and local levels of public space IoT deployments and associated data capture, and explore whose visions contribute to developing these articulations of empowerment, as well as questions of value generated by such deployments and where this value might be located
Summary
The Internet of Things (IoT) is a major growth area with significant economic and social implications (OECD, 2015). Device deployments may be undertaken by public sector organizations to gather data for civic purposes, activities which are often discussed alongside rhetoric of the “smart city” (Kitchin, 2014) Examples of such activities and purposes might include the use of temperature, humidity, and CO2 sensors within social housing (Davidson, 2018) to monitor aspects such as occupancy, damp, and potentially even complex issues such as fuel poverty. Public bodies might seek to install or legislate for devices in private or semiprivate spaces, such as the UK’s smart meter initiative in the energy sector (Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy, 2016) This move toward technology as infrastructure requires new policy and regulation. Collecting large volumes of data has the potential to compromise privacy, if personal data is included or can be inferred by linking a variety of data sources (Urquhart et al, 2019)
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