US 'smart city' tech highlights contrasts with China over privacy and control
China has been able to move quickly in part because, for better or worse, the ruling Communist Party imposed standards and strategies that were quickly settled on. While heavily weighted toward state control over individual rights, these allowed Chinese companies to proceed with engineering products and society to adapt to new practices.
“It all comes down to whom you trust,” said Deborah Acosta, co-host of the Smart City Diaries podcast, who recalls being lectured by a farmer in China a few years ago on democracy’s inefficiency. “The difference between us and China is, I hope we try to get it right.” While Westerners view growing government surveillance with suspicion, they often underestimate private-sector vulnerabilities from data brokers and database companies that can be hacked or accessed by law enforcement.
A 2017 House oversight committee hearing found that the FBI, which has the largest US facial recognition database, failed to accurately match people’s identities nearly one in six times. And a May report by the US Intelligence Community found that the agency may have accessed records on three million “US persons” without a warrant.
Other vulnerabilities involve potential hacking or data abuse. A 2013 inspector general’s report found that National Security Agency employees tapped surveillance records to spy on romantic partners, while the 2015 theft of US personnel records linked to China resulted in the exposure of more than 22 million Americans’ sensitive records.
Back on the tree-lined streets of Redwood City, whose history dates back to mid-19th century Gold Rush days, Hammack outlines next steps for the new parking system. “After the horrendous atrocities that occurred, citizens are very careful about any sort of centralised system tracking people’s data,” he said. “Privacy is much, much stronger than what you come across in the US.”
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