Concerns about data privacy have grown as tech creeps into urban spaces
The Mayor of London has unveiled a new register designed to increase transparency and trust around the use of smart technologies in the capital.
The initiative, known as the Privacy Register, aims to provide citizens with comprehensive information about the data-driven systems they encounter daily in public spaces.
The London Privacy Register is a key component of the city's Emerging Technology Charter and Public London Charter, which together aim to establish a framework for the ethical and responsible deployment of data-driven urban solutions.
As cities increasingly rely on new technologies – encompassing sensors, cameras, drones and AI-driven systems – to manage traffic, monitor air quality and improve public services, concerns about data privacy have grown.
The Privacy Register will provide a centralised platform for publishing Data Protection Impact Assessments (DPIAs). These assessments, legally required for projects posing a high risk to individual privacy, outline how personal data is collected, used and protected.
By making DPIAs publicly accessible, the Mayor's office hopes to empower Londoners to understand how their data is being used and to hold organisations accountable.
The Mayor's office has mandated that all Greater London Authority (GLA) Group projects involving the collection of personal data must publish their DPIAs on the register.
The database already includes assessments for projects such as the Metropolitan Police's facial recognition technology, Wi-Fi data collection on the London Underground and the Transport for London (TfL) GO app.
Londoners can proactively request the publication of DPIAs for specific technologies, fostering greater accountability among organisations deploying these systems.
While UK data protection law requires organisations to conduct DPIAs for high-risk projects and provide privacy notices, their public release primarily relied on freedom of information requests. The Privacy Register seeks to streamline this process and promote a culture of openness.
The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) encourages the publication of DPIAs to build trust, but it is not legally mandated.
The Open Data Institute has also advocated for mandatory DPIA publication and reforms to the assessment process to better protect diverse communities.
Theo Blackwell, London's chief digital officer, underscored the significance of transparency in this rapidly evolving landscape.
"By starting to publish these data protection impact assessments we bring transparency to a rapidly growing area," Blackwell said.
"Over the next decade, there will be an increase in the use of sensors, upgrades to camera networks, drones and other uses. While some data protection assessments are already published at launch, others are not, so we'll gather these documents in one place as open data."
The Privacy Register is currently in beta testing phase and will gather feedback to inform future expansions of the register.
"It may change and improve over time following feedback from users," the Mayor Office says.
"We also aim to expand the scope of the Register by on-boarding local authorities and others in coming months."
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Autor(en)/Author(s): Dev Kundaliya
Quelle/Source: Computing, 01.08.2024
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