5 ways to build smart cities that respect citizens’ privacy

What will happen to our privacy in the big data-driven ‘smart cities’ of the future? Maybe we’re about to find out.

Google just got the green light for its smart city in Toronto. But those who fear a scenario like in Hong Kong or San Francisco, where authorities can use residents’ data for whatever they want, maybe it’s not too late to fight back?

Hiding behind populist statements like ‘make housing more affordable’ hides the real objective to misuse citizens’ personal data for a social experiment.

Full disclosure: I’m co-founder of Urban Opus, a smart city innovation cluster focused on the ways in which people and data will co-create the quality of life and economic future of cities. Urban Opus believes the smartest city is the one with the most actively engaged citizens.

So, if we’re going to build smart cities, we need to be smarter about how we do it. Here are 5 ways we can help our smart cities do it right.

1. Be transparent. “Cities need to be totally clear about who owns the data and what they will be collecting — which can’t just be anything and everything that can be measured.”

2. Use an opt-in approach. “Let people opt in on their smartphones to specific apps that will give them information that will…