For years, Gwen Shaffer has been main Lengthy Seaside, Calif. residents on “knowledge walks,” stating public Wi-Fi routers, safety cameras, good water meters, and parking kiosks. The purpose, in line with the professor of journalism and public relations at California State University, Long Beach, was to be taught how residents felt in regards to the methods through which their metropolis collected knowledge on them.
She additionally recognized a essential hole in smart city design at the moment: Whereas cities could disclose how they gather knowledge, they not often provide methods to decide out. Shaffer spoke with IEEE Spectrum in regards to the expertise of main knowledge walks, and about her analysis workforce’s efforts to offer residents extra management over the info collected by public applied sciences.
What was the inspiration to your knowledge walks?
Gwen Shaffer: I started facilitating knowledge walks in 2021. I used to be learning residents’ consolation ranges with city-deployed applied sciences that gather personally identifiable info. My first profession as a political reporter has influenced my analysis strategy. I really feel strongly about conducting utilized reasonably than theoretical analysis. And I at all times go right into a examine with the purpose of serving to to resolve a real-world problem and inform coverage.
How did you arrange the walks?
Shaffer: We posted data privacy labels with a QR code that residents can scan and learn how their knowledge are getting used. Downtown, they’re in Spanish and English. In Cambodia Town, we did them in Khmer and English.
What occurred through the walks?
Shaffer: I’ll provide you with one instance. In a few the city-owned parking garages, there are automated license-plate readers on the entrance. So after I did the info walks, I talked to our members about how they really feel about these scanners. As a result of as soon as they’ve your license plate, in the event you’ve parked for fewer than two hours, you possibly can breeze proper by means of. You don’t owe cash.
Responses have been contextual and generally contradictory. There have been residents who mentioned, “Oh, yeah. That’s so handy. It’s a time saver.” So I believe that reveals how residents are prepared to make trade-offs. Intellectually, they hate the thought of the privateness violation, however additionally they love comfort.
What stunned you most?
Shaffer: One of many members mentioned, “Once I go to the airport, I can decide out of the facial scan and nonetheless be capable of get on the airplane. But when I wish to take part in so many actions within the metropolis and never have my knowledge collected, there’s no possibility.”
There was a cyberattack against the city in November 2023. Although we didn’t have a immediate asking about it, individuals introduced it up on their very own in nearly each focus group. One mentioned, “I’d by no means hook up with public Wi-Fi, particularly after the town of Lengthy Seaside’s website was hacked.”
What’s the app your workforce is growing?
Shaffer: Residents need company. In order that’s what led my analysis workforce to attach with privateness engineers at Carnegie Mellon University, in Pittsburgh. Norman Sadeh and his workforce had developed what they referred to as the IoT Assistant. So I advised them about our challenge, and proposed adapting their app for city-deployed applied sciences. Our plan is to offer residents the chance to train their rights underneath the California Consumer Privacy Act with this app. So they may say, “Passport Parking app, delete all the info you’ve already collected on me. And don’t gather any extra sooner or later.”
This text seems within the December 2025 print problem as “Gwen Shaffer.”
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