Are SMART Cities Intelligent Design or Intelligence by Design?
The heading is symptomatic of how I feel about this issue. Are SMART Cities Intelligent Design or Intelligence by Design? The latter is what I believe it is about. I refer to Edward Snowden and Julian Assange who have warned the global community about surveillance, it is the core issue beyond all the hype and belief in profits and marketing potential through tracking, personalisation and profiling. It has real implications for privacy and it significantly changes our world as we all are hooked up to the same network and everything about us known, including our conversations.
I am very concerned by the SMART movement which has been taken on board with out public discussion given it is going to affect all our lives. The NBN network in Australia has been crafted from the US model introduced by Bill Clinton’s 21st century online education and expanding that to full spectrum coverage of IT so nothing is lost. It is touted as the future, it is glowingly seen as efficient, progressive and even terms like ‘ecosystem’ are used to make it seem appealing. I have experienced the surveillance side of this and I can assure you when your phone is tracked, your searches are tracked, your preferences, your interests, your friends and family (Facebook) and all becomes interconnected, personalised and profiled my question is – is that what you want?
In Australia we have a conference coming up and the Council’s are going for it. The lure is to know the data on citizens, customers and users – it is the lure of money and knowledge through data collection in my view. I am a former market analyst, we had to make sure citizens were informed if they were filmed or recorded in some way. Today people call it security cameras and there is an ambivalence towards privacy even with catchy assurances. The SMART TV’s can capture data through cameras, my sense is that the cable companies will be doing this and in conjunction with others who want to manipulate what people watch and what they demand economically. It comes down to making more money with little regard to the real needs of the public. I have spoken to many people and not one likes it. People indicate that they don’t like the way the world is going and they know it is about control.
I found this interesting that community contribution is pre-conference NOT AT THE CONFERENCE. secondly using research to accelerate rather than investigate SMART cities. Lastly the values Connect. Aware. Accelerate. Compassion. The latter I believe is the critical issue as IT disconnects empathy, putting everyone online disconnects community as we live in these silos of online silence. I am at a library right now and all the people are working alone. I see a father with two children who are just sitting there whilst dad is focused online. I see everyone plugged in around me and not one person would be able to recognise who was in the room as they are trained to focus on the cyber reality not the real world that is around them, where potential friendships are no more, even the staff don’t make contact with people as they come and go, everyone learns to ignore others. I noted that on the street the other day if someone was hurt others couldn’t identify as they don’t look or make eye contact with their community or even smile to say hello. We are seriously losing our community and that is a far greater loss than the so called SMART revolution which is not even Australian, it is a US IT industry model that aims to control what we think, what we watch and force people into compliance rather than vibrant democratic communities. The idea is to disempower the community no matter how it is dressed up. Facebook is started by the CIA and all friends and family are identified and if you post something that is not in alignment with what a foreign company thinks they negate your ability to post. They call this Facebook prison, it happened to me not long ago when I published about a CIA whistleblower speaking about the serious problem of the Deep State. Another was about freedom, The Way and being yourself. I also can see who looks at my blog when I post to Twitter, Facebook or anywhere else and I know my work is tracked. It has been a real eye opener for me as I am a public journalist who is monitored. So take it from me it is a real phenomenon and the attitude of ‘if you’ve done nothing wrong you have nothing to worry about’ is fallacious as those speaking up are being monitored instead of being embraced as part of a democracy. Here is a reference: https://www.globalresearch.ca/social-media-is-a-tool-of-the-cia-facebook-google-and-other-social-media-used-to-spy-on-people/5606170
This is a wake up call.
I see a potential in the future in values free societies, where violence is seen as normal (endlessly streaming), where fear accelerates as we believe what we see (the mind can’t distinguish between imagined and real) and we lose our precious connection to each other and hook up to false networks believing this is real friends and connections when in truth it is not. We can’t be sure what is true and what is not as there is considerable sophistication in false flags in a cyber reality which can tailored for specific outcomes.
That is not to say people can’t connect up in communities to meet up they can but I am speaking about full spectrum dominance extended through IT which government and industry are readily pushing without proper public consultation. I feel this within the context of: corruption, endless wars, environmental collapse, overpopulation, mind control, resource depletion, fish stocks running out by 2050, plankton dying (source of oxygen), rapid deforestation, environmental chemicals affecting natural chemical bonds, autism, weather warfare, melting ice caps, social isolation, mental health, Identify theft, tracking/profiling/personalisation, criminal set-ups, profit motives devoid of real social responsibility and global society not focusing on solving the real problems without distraction by addictive technologies that rewire the brain away from social inclusion (loss of empathy). There are so many important issues that must be discussed for the sake of children who will inherit this.
I note a few points below:
* A legacy project on pre-conference day that will contribute to the local community, and an opportunity to work with your peers on building greater social equity through tech and data
* A research forum bringing government, academia and industry together to explore the role of research in accelerating smart cities deployment, replication and scaling
Are we Future Ready… the question is – what sort of future are we ready for?
OCTOBER 29 – 31, 2018 | SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA
Smart Cities Week Australia inspires action and fosters networking across an emerging region. This experience will provide the tools, facilitate the dialogue, and build the opportunities that accelerate better, smarter cities.
Smart Cities Week Australia inspires action and fosters networking across an emerging region. This experience will provide the tools, facilitate the dialogue, and build the opportunities that accelerate better, smarter cities.
Smart Cities Week Australia is not just facilitating the discussion but incubating the action – from intimate boardroom policy dialogue and masterclasses, to our Leadership Circle sessions and case study showcases.
For real smart cities action to be catalysed, presentations and panel discussions are no longer effective. Our five Smart Cities Week experiences will engage policy makers, industry innovators, researchers and start-up entrepreneurs alike. We have matched the content with the necessary level of deliberation, learning and inspiration.
Take a sneak peek of just some of what will be on offer:
* Boardroom discussions on the smart state, cyber security, digital built environment and innovation districts (among others)
* Masterclasses on building your IoT strategy, creating public places and spaces of the future and engaging in next generation utilities
* Fireside chats where we engage deeply with industry leaders to talk about policy, practice and the future of cities
* A showcase stage for the innovators wanting to show us what tomorrow looks like
* A legacy project on pre-conference day that will contribute to the local community, and an opportunity to work with your peers on building greater social equity through tech and data
* A research forum bringing government, academia and industry together to explore the role of research in accelerating smart cities deployment, replication and scaling
* A property technology breakfast digging deep into the digital transformation of the property sector
* For the first time in Australia, an awards program reception where Australia’s smart cities leaders will be recognised and rewarded for their work.
We are building a smart cities movement. Join us.
Every industry has its must-attend event and Smart Cities Week is the region’s must-attend smart city conference.
For companies that want to rise above the noise in this incredibly competitive market, you could not invent a better opportunity to demonstrate your latest technologies and thought leadership as you interact with government leaders and decision makers, private sector developers, and investment agencies.
Our sponsorship microsite will be active soon, but in the meantime email Lieven Marien at lieven.marien@eu.smartcitiescouncil.com for enquiries.
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