COUNTRY FOCUS : UK
Kamal Bechkoum , Head of the School of Computing and
Engineering at the University of
Gloucestershire , UK of cybersecurity breaches , can negatively impact people ’ s lives in new and unexpected ways .
“ The Cityware project , for example , tracked the physical interactions of 30,000 people using a combination of Facebook profiles and smartphone signals , resulting in reports that almost 250,000 owners of Bluetooth devices , mostly mobile phones , were spotted by Cityware scanners worldwide ,” said Bechkoum . activities and then use this to improve new services and products that aim to make city living better .
“ In ‘ connected places ’ this might involve any Internetof-Things ( IoT ) connected system , ranging from better traffic management and pollution control , through to improved security , public transport and intelligent street lighting .”
Although , Bechkoum points out , this offers the potential to transform our lives , it also comes with the same privacy concerns posed by any large-scale Digital Transformation .
He says that while tracking , monitoring and automated systems can enhance safety , productivity and costeffectiveness , potentially unethical and ongoing surveillance , along with the ever-present threat
“ Privacy International , a UK charity with the stated aim of ‘ defending and promoting the right to privacy across the world ’ warns people that the next time they ’ re lured into a shop with the promise of free Wi-Fi , they should be aware that what they are doing online could potentially be exposed , especially , as is often the case , if the Wi-Fi network does not require a passcode to get online .
“ The charity goes on to say that unsecure networks like this make it easier for cybercriminals to eavesdrop on what you do online . You should also be aware of ‘ rogue ’ Wi-Fi hotspots , which might deliberately use a name similar to the coffee shop you ’ re currently sitting in but has nothing to do with them .”
As Bechkoum rightly points out , data generated by Smart City infrastructure can even be culled from sources such as unprotected parking garages , EV charging stations or surveillance feeds , all of which offer cyberattackers targeted personal information
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