Coming Soon to Your City

By Karen Schumacher

By now everyone is somewhat familiar with the dangers of smart cities and have heard about 15 minute cities.  These versions of how everyone should live centers around technology and compacting humans in to small areas in order to save the planet.  Supposedly.  It is really about surveillance.

Most people are also probably aware that these versions of how humans should live includes the importance of data collection on everything going on.  Maybe much thought hasn’t been given to exactly how that would work.  Now, the World Economic Forum (WEF) has provided the technology that will accomplish this data gathering, surveillance contraption, the “smart lamppost.”

This lamppost has the capability of monitoring traffic, air quality, floods, and people.  Plus, it is self powering and has the potential for offering 5G WiFi.  It will even have the capacity to talk to people.  In the U.S. these are already being used.

A more quaint, or rather “elegant” version, is offered by Sansi.

At least Sansi included the monitoring by Homeland Security, recording of activity, and its connection to the Internet of Things (IoT).  It is so well built one can hardly ascertain that there is evil built into it.  One thing not mentioned is just exactly where does all that gathered data go?

In Chicago a new concept is being installed, Array of Things (AoT).  It “is an urban sensing project, a network of interactive, modular sensor boxes that will be installed…to collect real-time data on the city’s environment, infrastructure, and activity for research and public use.”  Whatever it takes to implement an effective and full surveillance system that can be applied to all cities.

The World Economic Forum, through its Global Smart Cities Alliance on Technology Governance, has engaged Chattanooga, Pittsburgh, and San Jose to participate in pilot programs to develop policy roadmaps for smart cities.  This policy framework can be used for implementation of smart cities more successfully and several other cities across the U.S. are involved in its network.  But they never tell you exactly what or how they plan to change cites, just that it will be equitable, safe, and transparent.  Smart lampposts are a given as part of a full surveillance state.

Next time you take a nice morning walk, just remember to look for one of these lampposts.