Sidewalk Labs wants to develop street signs that let people know what data is being collected from them

One of the big concerns with Sidewalk Labs’ “smart city” is the concern over the citizens’ privacy being invaded by the sensors and cameras that will be used for data collection. That and people wouldn’t exactly know how the data is being collected and for what purposes. It’s caused enough concern that a lawsuit against Sidewalk Labs has been brought to court.

One solution that this Alphabet firm has is the development of street signs that show the people what’s being collected. They hope this move makes the surveillance and monitoring effort more transparent. These would show up as hexagon-shaped signs (similar to other road signs) but it will highlight what type of data is being collected in an area and how that information is going to be used.

It’ll show if cameras or other devices are capturing video, photos, audio, or other information. These will be color-coded to highlight how the information will be used. For example, yellow indicates that data being collected is identifiable, while blue means it’s de-identified before it is used. There will also be QR codes on the sign that would provide additional information on the data collection process of a given area. It gives a more detailed explanation on who is collecting the data, what the exact information being collected is, and what it’s being used for. It’ll also show how long the data will be stored and how it is stored.

At the moment, these signs are just a concept. But the first draft has been made publicly available on GitHub with Sidewalk Labs planning to make tweaks over time. The signs will be tested first at Sidewalk Labs’ offices in Toronto as well as in cities where digital marketing company Soofa operates.

Source: Engadget