#Algorithms
News

One very exciting smart city initiative we’re working on is called ModelMe3D - a brand new city information modeling platform for future city makers. As a virtual white board, MM3D empowers designers and stakeholders to plan, collaborate & share. Since its entirely web based you can create your first project in seconds, and each scene comes with data rich 3D context of real city locations. Interested? Grab a sandwich and join us Friday 04 September @12:00 for a live demo here: https://bit.ly/MM3D_Webinar

In sustainability studies the 'rebound effect' explains why people use clean devices such as smart heating longer – it is economical and clean so leaving it on won't hurt. As a result, one could end up using the same amount of energy as with your old, inefficient heating. But also in 5G, the rebound effect is expected to occur – both in ways related to sustainability and 'smartness'. Should we throw ourselves enthusiastically into 5G, without thinking about how we use our internet connections in the future? A mini essay by Socrates Schouten (in Dutch).

In our daily lives, we became dependent on just a few tech companies, usually located in the USA or in China. Should we become independent and develop our own tech sector? Last Friday, the 19th of June 2020, the fifth edition of the Tech for Society series was launched in Pakhuis de Zwijger: a livestream series about the role of technology in a society that is currently under pressure of the Covid-19 crisis. The central theme of this edition: ‘the European Tech Sector’.

Why is it so important to have a tech sector ‘of our own’? Sander van der Waal, Future Internet Lab Lead of Waag explains the role of technology. He uses the metaphor of an iceberg. At the top, there is the technology people see in their daily lives. Phones, wifi, internet, they are there and work fine. Beneath this citizen perspective are a lot of layers we can’t see. There is a technology stack, in which you’ll find the infrastructure, the internet cables, GPS, datacenters, operating systems and more. Below the stack you find the development process, the choices companies made. After that is the foundation. This is the part with assumptions, values and peoples’ rights. The figure shows that technology is a lot more than we think. It has a lot of layers and what to put in the layers, makes sense.

Zooming in on the stack, you can define three variations. 1: a private stack, dominated by tech companies driving by profit and the people as consumers. 2. A state stack, closed tech, dominated by states and surveillance of citizens. 3. A public stack, putting European values into practice, make technology open, with a participating role for citizens. Sander doesn’t think it is necessary to develop a European tech sector. There would be risk we would develop a European private sector and one can doubt if that is really a step ahead. Maybe a little one because we won’t be dependent on US companies, but in this case people still don’t play an active role.

Source: Waag

The big five

The biggest companies we are depending on, are called the big five. Google, Facebook, Amazon, Apple and Microsoft dominate the tech industry. Most of them collect our data and make them into a business model. According to Jochem de Groot, director Corporate Affairs, Microsoft does search for the societal debate about technology. They are talking about the public value of their technology. For example in AI, Microsoft calls for more rules and regulations. This way they also hope that it is easier for citizens to hold sovereignty. Microsoft also launched an open data campaign.

Sander: ‘Open data can be a step in the right direction. However, be careful with it. Data are often relatable to people. There is more open data available, but we have to be careful if we can find out to whom te data belong. Once leaked, data never go back. When it comes to tech, Europe is mostly known for the GDPR, the General Data Protection Regulation. This is a standard and also important in the USA. More current technological developments put the citizen central. And also the developments of open source are getting bigger. Open source helps to decrease the dependency of individual companies.’

Paul Tang is member of the European Parliament for the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats (S&D). He just came back from a demonstration at the office of Facebook against personalized adds. In the European Parliament a majority says these personalized adds should be forbidden. Paul: ‘Someday this is should be a law, because the European Parliament has legislative power. Sometimes these decisions can take a long time, because of member states, lobby organizations and various interests. The good thing of this power, is the influence it has on Europe, but also on the rest of the world. However, sometimes I am shocked by all the work that still has to be done. We set up criteria for the usage of algorithms a while ago, but they are not yet put into practice. When it comes to the digital playing rules, we have a lot of work to do.’

Opportunities for Europe

If the lack of tech giants in Europe is an issue and we want to create a European tech sector as a solution to our dependency on American tech giants, are there developments going on that might be opportunities that might contribute to a European tech sector? ‘Quantumcomputing’, Jochem from Microsoft says. ‘Here we really have an opportunity to create an ecosystem and be unique. As Microsoft we would like the Dutch government to invest in this.’ According to Paul Tang, ‘the market for personalized data is fully dominated by the American giants. There are possibilities in the EU for non-personalized data. For example, in the Internet of Things. Bianca Wylie, open government advocate and Tech Reset Canada co-founder: ‘When I advise companies about their future, I always tell them to get away from behavioural data. Go for clean tech, robotics, infrastructure or health tech, but don’t make your business depend on the surveillance economy. Grow other sectors with an alternative vision.’

Bianca also spoke about the opportunities Covid-19 bring to the tech sector. ‘There is an opportunity but a threat as well’, she says. ‘We have to watch the emergency that is taking place now when it comes to procurement. Keep an eye on the democratic process. But this time is also an opportunity to get rid of the tech that is not successful but costs a lot. Check the existing infrastructure. Not working? Let it go! And value human capital. We need teachers, doctors, people who do contact tracing. Build tools that help them.’

Paul: ‘The personalized ads ask for the collection of more data. We have to ban this. I think that selling products is a different business model. It shows a clear relation between producer and consumer. The system in which the people give data, get free products with advertisements is vague and manipulative. Skip this business model and make space for new ones.’ Jochem (Microsoft) doesn’t want to comment on this, because this is mainly about his competitors. He does stress that is important to create space for a market in tech, there have to be possibilities to compete. The government has to set the framework. For example with GDPR. Values for AI could use such a framework as well.’

Data sovereignty is a long lasting wish of a lot of countries. GAIA-X could play a role in this. GAIA-X is an initiative by France and Germany to strengthen the digital sovereignty of Europe. It will make Europe less dependent on China and the USA. Sander is also critical: there is a risk of copying existing models. But we need a completely different data strategy, the system is no good.

About the steps we have to take, the three men agree: we need more influence of Europe, all from another angle. According to Paul, Europe has to win back soeverignty and call a halt to their development. Jochem wants European unity to become a powerful block that can set a framework. Sander: ‘Only with the cooperation in Europe we can build alternative data models’.

According to Amsterdam Smart City, the discussion of this evening is exactly the discussion that needs to take place. Collecting data is very useful to work on the challenges in our cities. But we have to be aware that these data are in the hands of the private sector. And that free usage comes with a price. Can we work on public values with the data? This asks for a collaboration between the public and

private sector, something we work on every day. Amsterdam Smart City always puts public value first: innovating together and transparent, using each other’s expertise, with the resident at the centre.

Do you want to watch the full episode? You can watch it here (in Dutch):

[##### Tech for Society #5: Waar is de Europese techsector?

Waarom zijn er geen Europese techreuzen meer?

Pakhuis de Zwijger](https://dezwijger.nl/programma/waar-is-de-europese-techsector)

Friday 5 June 2020, the fourth edition of the Tech for Society series was launched in Pakhuis de Zwijger: a livestream series about the role of technology in a society that is currently under pressure of the Covid-19 crisis. The central theme of this edition: ‘Dataism’, defined as the believe that the world can be captured in data and algorithms. This concept makes us question its practical possibilities and how we could understand the world around us using data. How should we?

Miriam Rasch, researcher and teacher, wrote the book ‘Frictie. Ethiek in tijden van dataisme’. The book talks about dataism, which Miriam describes as a belief that everything in the world can be captured with data. It is the idea that collecting data shows you certainties and predictions about the world and this way, directs people and the society as a whole . Miriam calls it a ‘religion’, since ‘dataism could exclude other views.' Data look objective and neutral. Believers of this concept, therefore, see it as a necessity to make decision-making processes data-driven.

Martijn de Waal, researcher in the Lectorate of Play & Civic Media of the Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences, recognizes this dataism in the world. As a kind believer of dataism himself, Martijn looks at the concept as a way to organize information and shape the world around us. ‘However, the central role of collecting data now, as done by platforms such as Facebook or Amazon, is too big. It is pretended as if data are objective and truthful. But collecting data is done via platforms with all kinds of underlying values, that are not always visible.’

Which kinds of values? And are these public values? Can the data work for people?’

At the Biennale of Urbanism and Architecture in Shenzhen in China, Martijn attended the exhibition ‘Eyes of the City’, where he found three interpretations on the usage of data:

1. Using data to map the lives of people and with the data, force them to live life according to rules and punish them if you do not oblige the rules. One of the main examples is face recognition in China.
2. Luxurious capitalism. Collecting large amounts of data on citizens and use these to offer services. Even services people don’t know they need until they are offered to them. For example, offer a coffee to people on the streets at the moment you know they would like a cup of coffee due to the data that you collected about them. There is a downside for people working in the platform economy who have to be available, according to the data.
3. In Shenzhen, companies got into contact with migrants living in a certain area. Together they collected data about bottlenecks in their lives. It helped people to show authorities they exist. The data collected are not objective, but it could be a starting point for discussion.

Policy based on data, data based on policy

In research, the usage of data is really important. Even more when policies are based on the data obtained during these studies. However, according to Caroline Nevejan, Chief Science Officer at the City of Amsterdam, you have to be transparent about the sources you used, data that are collected, and start a discussion about which statements could be seen as true or false. In a democracy everybody has to take a part in this process, which is of extreme importance in a world full of propaganda and fake news. In one of her researches, City Rhythm, she analyses the real world and the digital world and the interaction between these two. She addresses questions such as; can we trust data and can we use data for good? How can the digital world can become a part of the physical world? An example of this is, can people who like gardening can use the help of people who don't like gardening, but do like measuring and predicting growth of plants?

Arjan Widlak, director of the Kafka brigade, researches bureaucratic dysfunctioning: ‘Bureaucracy is a great asset, it ensures that all kinds of values materialize - such as legal certainty, integrity, but often this goes the wrong way. Some organizations do the opposite of what they should do. There is indifference without a much needed check.' The Kafka Brigade wants to come to manageable knowledge and people that care about bureaucracy. What kind of system are we creating when we digitalize the government? We are caught in a system of possibilities and impossibilities, where principles of responsible IT should be defined and carried out.

How do we make sure that these principles are put into practice?

Arjan: 'For example, when you drive too fast, you will be flashed. This is done automatically, as is the determination of the fine and the envelope that will be sent to you. It seems like there are no humans involved in the process. Although we might not all understand how this system works, we have a high trust in the way it functions. You have done something wrong and result is a fine. The confidence in the operation of the system is great because it functions without people and people are unreliable. But ultimately people are involved. There is a policy behind this process and people decide what is legal and what is not. Certainly, due to affairs and scandals, it is not certain whether the confidence in these techniques is still so big. So data are not objective. These are human creatures. You cannot take the people out, then you will lose ethics and the discussion about what is wrong or right.'

Constutional state and education

Caroline: ‘Data collecting functions in the constitutional state, in the city. Collect, acquire, return data has to be done according to certain laws. You can also go to court if this is done wrong. The European Rules for Data Protection (GDPR) are essential for the protection of personal data collected by companies. Companies now say, give us more rules because this works for us. We can do better business. So business runs better in a democracy’ .

Caroline continues: “Another aspect we have to look at is how data scientists are trained. What do they learn? It is staggering to see how data science education in university only has one course on responsible innovation. In collecting data we only talk about ethics, never about the rule of law. Business is always about social entrepreneurship, never about trade unions. In education, we create data scientists who have only one side of the knowledge, but get all the power. Because we did not teach the system designers how to think about democracy, power and the inequality of power.”

Martijn: ‘Yes, people in Silicon Valley work in a one-dimensional way. But this will change. There is more and more attention for ethics because students also ask for it. They want to contribute to society.’

Arjan: 'It is interesting how this also goes for the background of civil servants. This has a major influence on how the government functions. A long time ago, as a civil servant it was common practice to know something about constitutional law. You had to understand that values get meaning to each other.' Caroline: ‘Place this standards frame to the forefront again. Democracy and privacy by design. This makes it possible to discuss the interpretation of meaning.’

What can the current timeframe learn us?

Miriam: ‘We learned the value of not using tech all day. I hope we can remember it.’

Caroline: ‘Ask more questions every day. Even if you take something for granted.’

Arjan: ‘Yes, ask more questions. We can strive for privacy by design, but what does that mean? I plea for critical citizenship.’

Martijn: ‘This time showed us a revaluation for public space and values. Public space is suddenly used a lot more. What can that look like online?’

According to Amsterdam Smart City, the discussion of this evening is exactly the discussion that needs to take place. Collecting data is very useful to work on the challenges in our cities. But we have to be aware that these data are not neutral and we have to have a discussion about the issues and if the data are necessary to help solving the issues. Can we work on public values with the data? This asks for a collaboration between the public and private sector, something we work on every day. Amsterdam Smart City always puts public value first: innovating together and transparent, using each other’s expertise, with the resident at the centre.

Do you want to watch the full episode? You can watch it here (in Dutch):

[##### Tech for Society #4: Dataïsme: Is de wereld te vangen in data?

Wie heeft gelijk als de computer het fout heeft?

Pakhuis de Zwijger](https://dezwijger.nl/programma/dataisme-is-de-wereld-te-vangen-in-data%20%20%20)

Last Friday, the second edition of the Tech for Society series was launched in Pakhuis de Zwijger: the livestream series about the role of technology in a society that is under pressure of the corona crisis . With this time a special focus on the contact-tracing apps. What do you think: can an app save the world?

Last Friday, the second edition of the Tech for Society series was launched in Pakhuis de Zwijger: the livestream series about the role of technology in a society that is under pressure of the corona crisis. With this time a special focus on the contact-tracing apps. What do you think: can an app save the world?

Why is tracking, contact-research, of an infectious person so important in times of corona? Mariska Petrignani, infection control doctor at GGD (public health service), explains: “GGD’s most important work at the moment is finding out who’s been in contact with an infected person to prevent rapid spreading of the infection. We do this by relying on the memory of the infected person. But there are always contacts you can’t recall or don’t know by name, for instance people you saw in the supermarket or public transport. But the question we have to ask is: to what extent are these people at risk for exposure and on what level do they contribute to the transmission of the disease?" There’s a lot of scientific discussion surrounding this topic.

According to Mariska, GPS-tracking, which can be recorded via an app, can help but doesn’t cover all relevant information. Is there a wall between you and the person you are in contact with? That is the type of information you need to know as well.

Michiel Heidenrijk, director of the Amsterdam Health & Technology Institute, adds to the discussion: “Can an app save the world? There is not one silver bullet, you need a combination of different therapies/solutions. Technology and data can offer parts of the solution.”. Mariska adds: “A common problem is that people can’t recall exactly where they have been. Technology can help. There are many ways to support this and it doesn’t have to be a contact-tracking app. For instance you can use your phone as a digital agenda to log your movements. We should think about other smart, digital solutions.”. Michiel: “We should embrace technology, use data, but it should be used in a sufficient and reliable way.”.

Hannes Grassegger, tech-journalist based in Zurich, sketches the European perspective. After a two week testing period of a contact-tracing app in Zurich, the app will be launched mid-June in Swiss. It’s completely voluntary, but hosted by the federal government, which is highly trusted by the public.

But isn’t it time for a broader European strategy? Hannes explains that coming week E-health will publish guidelines for the European common strategy for contact-tracing apps, to align the European members. E-health does not see the app itself as a major tool to bring back the freedom of movement between the member states, but they try to develop a framework to avoid the app becoming an obstacle to reintegrating the freedom of movement within Europe. Hannes: “If we have different states within Europe using different apps, there is need to have a set of common ground rules.”.

Lotje Siffels, philosopher in technology, conducts research on the influence of big-tech companies in the healthcare sector. She wants to stipulate two important discussion points: i) Technology is often seen as THE solution to the whole problem, while the problem is a lot more complex. It almost seems like the exit strategy is entirely depending on the use of contract-tracing apps. While this is certainly not the case; ii) Privacy is broadly mentioned within the discussion, but there are so much more social values that have to be discussed as well. Think about autonomy or democratic values. As an example Lotje mentions the ‘zwaai-app’: “If you meet someone or accidentally bump into someone, you wave with your phone and the data of the other person is saved. This helps you log your movements while being conscious of the data that is stored. You give a level of autonomy back to the people, because they are the ones consciously keeping track of their own encounters.” Active participation can also be part of the solution.

Lotte Houwing, policy advisor at Bits of Freedom, is the last speaker of the evening and raises questions surrounding the necessity of such an app. Do we actually want this app? What exactly is the problem we need solved? What are the advantages and disadvantages? What is the impact on our society? She adds that these questions need to be answered first before we can assess if an app is indeed the right tool to implement.

The discussion of this evening is exactly the discussion that needs to take place. Amsterdam Smart City beliefs in technology as a means, never as a goal. Before thinking about contact-tracking apps, the right questions need to be raised and answered. Amsterdam Smart City always puts public value first: innovating together and openly, using each other’s expertise, with the resident at the centre.

Do you want to watch the full episode? You can watch it here (in Dutch): <https://dezwijger.nl/programma/kan-een-app-de-wereld-redden>

Calling for smart health companies with international ambitions! The internationalisation program ‘The Globaliser’, with a special focus on smart health companies (startups, scale-ups and SME’s), starts in the Amsterdam region in October. During this 10 week program, companies will work on their internationalisation strategy. The program, put together with experienced entrepreneurs, contains the most valuable lessons learned, individual coaching, expert views, interactive sessions and utilizes useful tools for market selection, building the Go-to-Market strategy and the international roadmap. Afterwards, participants will have a validated international roadmap, which gives focus and helps you to roll out your smart health solution internationally. Do you want to know more? Get in contact with Ellen van der Vossen, (e.vossen@amsterdam.nl) or Daan Donkers (d.donkers@amsterdam.nl), who are trade developers for Amsterdam Trade and Innovate.

For more information about the Globaliser, check out https://www.dutchbasecamp.org/globaliser!

Do you like to work on complex urban issues involving multiple stakeholders and with direct effect for the Amsterdammer? From AI and data science, to smart mobility and circular economy, there are a number of opportunities to join the CTO innovation team.

Check out these current opportunities:

AI developer
Back end developer
Business developer (AI Team)
Data engineer
Data scientist (Smart Mobility Program)
Front end developer
Full stack developer
Project manager (MaaS & shared mobility)
Technical information analyst (Smart Mobility Program)
Tech lead circular economy

For complete information and application procedure, refer to the City of Amsterdam’s website: https://www.amsterdam.nl/bestuur-organisatie/werkenbij/externe/

Or mail us for any questions: innovatie@amsterdam.nl

Lidar is what robots use to read and navigate our built environment. Also known as point cloud or 3D scanning, Lidar becomes a wonderful 'black canvas' to paint a new portrait of our digital surroundings. We created a point cloud scan animation of the Marineterrein in the heart of Amsterdam that revealed the many data sets being collecting in our living lab. Like Bob Ross, we used the data and points to paint to a new landscape explaining our 21st century city.

Check out how we created this animation here: http://tapp.nl/point-cloud-scan-animation

I'll be giving alking about the point cloud animation and process at the upcoming Sensemakers AMS talk “DigitalTwins - cities, neighborhoods and infra” 19 February 2020. Signup here: http://meetu.ps/e/Hwyjq/8dXgR/a

We’re thrilled to have Royal Haskoning RHDV as a signatory of the Tada (https://tada.city/) movement in #Amsterdam.

"We know that the promise of using data can be huge – and this ties in closely in our collaboration with City of Amsterdam to optimise peopleflows in the city centre," says Frank Legter (Director Business Unit Transport & Planning Europe) "But we must ensure that we collect data correctly and enable people to stay in control of their data so that we create responsible digital cities."

It is highly unlikely that Yandex.Taxi will purchase the assets of “Vezyot” GC , as planned before. In response to the taxi aggregator Gett’s complaint, the Federal Anti-Monopoly Service might not allow to conclude a deal in some regions of Russia, where it can have a negative impact on competition. In this case the the Service will order shareholders not to sell assets or sell them to another competitor. Alfa-Bank analysts consider that Mail.ru Group’s “Citymobil” is the most probable competitor to buy the assets of “Vezyot” in the regions.

In July Yandex claimed it planned to buy the software and call-centers of “Vezyot” GC and therefore submitted an application to the Federal Anti-Monopoly Service. Mail.ru Group claimed that the parties had to obtain a written permit for asset purchasing from Mail.ru Group, which gave a convertible loan to “Vezyot” in 2018. In return “Vezyot” replied they had not broken lending laws.

Yandex.Taxi IPO launch was planned for 2019 or 2020. According to a recent evaluation, the service costs $7.7–8.5 billion, while the whole Yandex’s capitalization costs $12.4 billion.

In Moscow Yandex.Taxi’s (together with Uber) taxi aggregator market share is over 68%, and “Vezyot” only has 2% of shares. At the same time across Russia Yandex.Taxi has about 47% of shares, while “Vezyot” has 24%. in Moscow Gett got 5.7% market shares and in the whole Russian market it got 9.7%.

According to Discovery Research Group, the Russian taxi aggregator market’s monetary value was estimated at 290.5 billion rubles in 2018 (146.8 billion in the previous year). Analysts note that aggregators put conventional taxi companies under the control of IT companies.

Telecom news
• Beeline launched a 5G pilot testbed in “Luzhniki” and broadcasted it via social networks. The operator claimed during testing they recorded 3.3 Gbps speed per one Huawei device.

• MTS in turn tested Solutions for smart transport in the pilot area in VDNH and presented 3 5G use case scenarios to increase on road safety — “Smart overtaking”, “Smart crossroad” and “Safe pedestrian”.

• First official news about the anticipated reorganizing of the Moscow broadband internet service provide leader, MGTS, came out. From September 16, its Director General Pavel Kuznetsov also holds the position of the MTS Moscow region Director, previously held by Igor Egorov. Previously the news about MGTS reorganization was reported by “Kommersant”. The information about new appointments in top management is stated in the operator’s documents, though MTS had not commented on it yet.

• Moreover, this week MTS launched a ticket selling platform “MTS Afisha” and plans to open “MTS Live Arena” concert venue for up to 11.5 thousand people. It Will be located near “Skolkovo” innovation center.

• Vitaliy Klishin was appointed Director of the Moscow branch of “ER-Telecom”. He previously held the position of Vice President of “AMT-Group” and worked for “Volga Telecom” and “AKADO”. He will start modernizing the network and increasing revenues, including B2B segment, which the company has been working in since last autumn.

• Tele2 obtained the permission to continue eSIM testing from the Ministry of Communications. The Ministry stated that the operator fixed all eSIM security issues and the test algorithm full supports subscriber identification. Up to 15 thousand subscribers will participate in the testing.

Retail for online
Experts note that one of the trends in telecom retail is the openness of the infrastructure for partners within the concept of digital services department store. Last week two pieces of news were dedicated to the examples of such cooperation.

MTS in its phone stores will offer clients to install a set of apps with Yandex services (Yandex.Browser, Yandex.Taxi, Yandex.Drive and Auto.ru)on their smartphones. The internet company’s apps will be available in other retail stores.

Megafon in its phone stores allowed users to verify their identity in Yandex.Money. This option is also available in “Svyaznoy”, “Euroset” stores and “Unistream” offices.

Suppose you want to know how many cars travel across a certain road. You could build a system that registers all license plates driving by. But you could opt for a system that will simply place a tally mark for every car that passes by. Both systems serve the same function: they count cars. However, the first one is a privacy nightmare. The second system is designed in such a way that it cannot document any personal information. Privacy is not a factor that you can just tack on a system after the fact; it needs to be included in the design phase as a requirement. This design philosophy is called privacy-by-design. Can we work towards Tada-by-design?

We think we can.
Read all about it on the Tada blog:

From https://tada.city - Reading time: 6-8 minutes

“Tada is a movement,” says Douwe Schmidt during the opening of the Tada in practice meeting. “It is the interaction of a large number of organizations and individuals that are focusing on the question: ‘What kind of digital society do we want?’ It is no longer a matter of determining whether or not we will have one. Now it is all about how to put that society into practice.” Over the past four months, the Municipality of Amsterdam and Bureau Tada have worked together to explore how the six Tada values can be put into practice. At the meeting, insights were shared with nearly sixty participants.

The practical implementation of Tada does not translate into a one size fits all approach. Unlike prescriptive legislation such as the General Data Protection Regulation, Tada is not a user manual that provides specific rules. Ethical principles like ‘the human factor’ and ‘from everyone – for everyone’ are soft values that need to be reinterpreted time and again. “Ethics cannot be outsourced,” says Tessa Wernink, who partners with Schmidt in Bureau Tada. “It is important for everyone to think about that in their work. Tada has taken the first steps by formulating six principles. These six points are not much different than established ethical values. But now it is a matter of applying them to the digital domain.”

“It is allowed, but we won’t do it”
Two speakers share stories from their own practice. Koen van Nol, legal expert at Schiphol, is involved in a pilot project involving ‘biometric boarding’ at the airport. In the experiment, boarding pass checks and passport checks are replaced with facial recognition. One of the insights Van Nol shares is that your organization’s identity plays a role in the decision-making process. “At each step, we verify whether it is legally allowed and whether it is technically possible. But in some cases, we reach the conclusion: it is allowed, it is possible, but we are not going to do it. That has to deal with the Schiphol identity. I have noticed in conversations with colleagues that Schiphol employees consider that very important. As a semi-government body, we believe that we hold a certain responsibility towards our customers.”
Jaap-Henk Hoepman, senior university lecturer at Radboud University in Nijmegen, explains how to make abstract values more tangible, transposing them into technical projects: “Privacy is a soft term. It is partly about ethics and partly about legal aspects. That makes it harder to implement than more tangible software attributes like security or performance.” To offset that, Hoepman developed eight privacy-by-design strategies. One of those strategies is minimization: do not collect more data than necessary. Another is abstraction: only share the specific information that is needed. For instance: the Gall&Gall sales employee does not actually need to know your date of birth; they just need to know if you are over 18.
Lessons Learned

G4 trainee Milou Jansen then stepped up on stage. For six months, she worked with Tada Agency on implementing Tada in the Municipality of Amsterdam, adopting the role of Values & Digitalization consultant. She shared some insights that recurred frequently during that project: Decisions about responsible data use must be taken at all levels of the organization. However, it is still all too common to see such decisions ending up with the data analysts. This could result in the unintended situation where data analysts become some type of gatekeepers, who need to encourage other people to use data responsibly. It is important for other employees to also consider this their responsibility. As a result, thinking about data use becomes an integrated part of everyone’s work. By extension, clients and contractors share a joint responsibility for data use. It is therefore important to discuss this at the beginning of a project. Take the time early in the process to carefully consider everything together. That will prevent delays later on in the process: take a moment to think at the start so you can accelerate later.

What can we do in tangible terms?
Milou Jansen bids farewell to the Municipality of Amsterdam to continue her traineeship in Utrecht. That is why she invited the attendees to join her in considering the question: ‘what next?’ during the interactive part of the meeting. The attendees joined in a discussion about applying Tada in the Municipality of Amsterdam. The discussion clearly revealed two things. On the one hand, it was considered valuable that Tada does not provide strict guidelines, but rather requires constant reflection. On the other hand, there is also a need for certainty – not just for civil servants, but also for citizens who need to be able to monitor what the municipal authorities are doing. People offered ideas related to both aspects in order to anchor Tada in the organization.

First, people in the organization need to become aware of Tada. Communication as well as meetings arranged within the organization will help create support amongst municipal employees. That should lead to a sense of responsibility which is felt by all the process owners, not just the specialists. Tada is not an exact science, so it requires employees to use their moral compass. That takes time: time to think, time to engage in dialogue, time to ask each other questions. People also mentioned developing a course on Tada, ethics and technology, and appointing ambassadors.

A number of suggestions were also made for ways to express Tada in more tangible terms. Pick a spot on the horizon: what is our course of action with Tada? Based on that distant view, we can draw up clear policy frameworks and work processes. Also appoint watchdogs that monitor the Municipality – like consultative groups, ethical advisory committees or a digital union. Finally, someone suggested expressing the abstract Tada values in more tangible terms by providing examples from actual practice. That will create common ground based on examples.

The conclusion of the overall discussion was that a cultural change is needed. The word Tada should not evoke confused questions; instead, it should be met with enthusiastic recognition. Not: Tada? But: Tada!

The Tada in practice meeting was a co-production of the Municipality of Amsterdam and Bureau Tada. It took place on 20 February 2019 at the Stadstimmertuin in Amsterdam.

De eerste Amsterdamse Agenda voor de Digitale Stad werd op 1 maart gelanceerd. De agenda getiteld ‘Een digitale stad voor én van iedereen’ streeft naar een vrije, inclusieve en creatieve digitale stad. Verantwoord gebruik van data is daar een onderdeel van. Eén van de acties om dat te bereiken is de implementatie van het Tada manifest.

Wethouder Digitale Stad Touria Meliani presenteerde de Agenda in het vrolijk ogende pand van The Beach/Garage Notweg, een laboratorium voor sociale en duurzame innovatie in Nieuw-West. Ze wist meteen de aandacht te vangen van het 150 koppige publiek door het delen van persoonlijke data. Op het scherm toonde ze een WhatsApp gesprek met haar moeder. “Mijn moeder zou het liefst willen dat ik elke week op bezoek kom, maar dat kan niet want ze woont ver weg. Daarom delen we veel via WhatsApp. Ze is laaggeletterd daarom communiceren we veel via foto’s en audioberichten. We hebben persoonlijke gesprekken via dit systeem maar we weten niet wat er met die berichten gebeurd. Mensen stoppen hart en ziel in hun telefoon maar de bedrijven die achter deze technologie zitten, hebben andere bedoelingen. Hier zie je op een heel alledaags niveau een risico van digitalisering. De digitale stad gaat over de mensen die daar mee te maken hebben. En dat zijn wij allemaal.”

Amsterdam implementeert Tada manifest
Met haar voorbeeld legde wethouder Meliani één van de uitdagingen bloot die in de Digitale Agenda wordt benoemd. De dataverzameldrang leidt ertoe dat sommige partijen steeds meer macht krijgen. De data kan worden aangewend om gedrag te beïnvloeden en mensen te manipuleren. Daarmee wordt de vrijheid van Amsterdammers aangetast. De stad wil hier tegenwicht aan bieden. Amsterdam zet zich in voor betere regels die de privacy en autonomie van burgers waarborgen. Dat doet het niet alleen, maar in samenwerkingsverbanden op nationaal en internationaal niveau. Op lokaal niveau voegt de gemeente daad bij woord door verantwoord met data om te gaan. In het komend jaar gaat ze de Tada principes in de eigen organisatie implementeren.

In discussie over technologie
Douwe Schmidt van Bureau Tada kreeg het woord om het publiek meer over Tada te vertellen. “Tada is ontstaan uit een brede coalitie van burgers en organisaties. Die zijn in gesprek gegaan over de digitale stad en hoe we die willen vormgeven. Daar is het manifest ‘Tada – duidelijk over data’ uitgerold. Hierin worden zes principes benoemd die in de digitale stad zouden moeten gelden.” Een van die principes is bijvoorbeeld ‘inclusief’: de digitale stad moet, net als de fysieke stad, toegankelijk zijn voor iedereen.

Schmidt: “De volgende stap is om de Tada principes in de praktijk te brengen. Hoe vertaal je die abstracte waarden in iets concreets? Bureau Tada werkt samen met de gemeente om daar vorm aan te geven. We hebben workshops ontwikkelt waarin we praktisch met Tada aan de slag gaan. Eén van de methoden die we gebruiken is het spectogram. Daarmee starten we een discussie door naar concrete casussen te kijken.”Om een beter idee te krijgen hoe dat werkt, nodigde Schmidt de 150 aanwezigen uit deel te nemen aan een principiële discussie over technologie. Hij legde het publiek een stelling voor. Wie voor was ging staan, tegenstemmers bleven zitten. Bij de stelling ‘Amsterdam zal nooit gezichtsherkenning gebruiken’ stond een flink aantal mensen op. “Er wordt al op zoveel plekken data opgeslagen”, zei één van de voorstemmers, “en we hebben geen idee wat er mee gebeurd. Dus laten we voorlopig even wachten met het aanleggen van nog meer dataopslagplaatsen.” Een tegenstemmer beargumenteerde: “De bezwaren die je kan hebben tegen gezichtsherkenning, kan je te niet doen met technische oplossingen en goede regels.” Er was ook iemand die zich in beide standpunten niet kon vinden: “Je moet niet van die boude uitspraken doen waarin het alles of niets is. Misschien vind je dat je geen camera’s met gezichtsherkennning op straat moeten worden geplaatst. Daar kan je een debat over voeren. Maar vooraf technologieën uitsluiten zonder daar een gesprek over te voeren, is niet de juiste weg.” Schmidt: “Zo zie je maar dat als je casussen gaat bespreken er direct discussie ontstaat. Mensen willen hier met elkaar van gedachte over wisselen. Tada is begonnen met het benoemen van principes waar we de digitale stad op willen stoelen. Nu maken we een verdiepingsslag door er met elkaar over te praten en de principes concreet toe gaan passen.”

Privacy in de digitale stad
Na de presentatie van Tada nodigde wethouder Meliani verschillende mensen uit op het podium. Voor het ontwikkelen van de Digitale Agenda legde ze veel werkbezoeken af. Ze ontmoette veel mensen die haar inspireerden. Met een aantal van hen ging ze tijdens de lancering in gesprek. Met Marleen Stikker van De Waag sprak ze over privacy. Stikker: “Het woord privacy is aan erosie onderhevig daarom spreek ik liever over zelfbeschikking. Zeg je privacy dan hoor je vaak: ‘ik heb niets te verbergen’. Maar het gaat er niet om of je iets op je kerfstok hebt staan. Dat zie je aan het gesprek tussen wethouder Meliani en haar moeder. Het gaat om de wens de privé sfeer te behouden. Bij zelfbeschikking gaat het over de vraag: maken wij nog onze eigen keuze? We worden genudged en gemanipuleerd. Zelfbeschikking is een hoeksteen van de rechtstaat. Maar op het digitale gebied wordt ons heel veel uit handen genomen.”

Mark Wiebes van de Nationale Politie zei over privacy: “Tijdens de Tada discussie kwam het dilemma van gezichtsherkenning herkenning aan de orde. Het is heel verleidelijk om dat soort technieken in te zetten voor opsporingsonderzoek. Maar iedereen die bij de politie gaat, zweert een eed om burgers en burgervrijheden te beschermen. Privacy is één van die vrijheden. Maar technologie moet je ook niet zonder meer aan de kant zetten. Het niet gebruiken van technologie heeft ook een prijs. Dus moet je verschillende mogelijkheden overwegen. Bijvoorbeeld het inbedden van privacyregels in de technologie.”

De wethouder vertelde over twee concrete acties uit de Digitale Agenda die de privacy van Amsterdammers doet verhogen: “Alle burgers krijgen een Mijn Amsterdam, een persoonlijke digitale omgeving. Hier kan je inzien welke gegevens de gemeente over jou heeft opgeslagen.” Daarnaast wordt half maart een digitale kaart gelanceerd waarop slimme apparaten zijn aangegeven. Hierop kunnen burgers zien waar de gemeente camera’s en andere meetinstrumenten heeft geplaatst. Ook kan worden bekeken welk type data de sensoren verzamelen.

Een inclusieve digitale stad
Over de inclusieve stad sprak de wethouder met Fatimzahra Baba van stichting Saaam. Saaam helpt laaggeletterde moeders bij het begrijpen van social media. Hun kinderen gebruiken social media en hebben zo een wereld waar de ouders niet bij kunnen. Er worden onderwerpen besproken als exposing (het delen van ongewenste foto’s of verhalen op social media). Een dochter die dat had ondervonden was depressief geraakt. Ze praten met elkaar over hoe de digitale weerbaarheid van hun kinderen te vergroten. Baba: “Over laaggeletterde moeders wordt vaak gezegd: ‘Ze kunnen niet en ze willen niet’. Maar dat is niet waar. Ze willen wel!”

“Inclusief betekent ook dat iedereen mee moet kunnen doen”, zei de wethouder. “Daarin hebben we als gemeente ook stappen gezet. We hebben met verschillende mensen om de tafel gezeten. Iemand met een fysieke beperking, een slechtziende. Zij wezen ons op tekortkomingen. Een slechthorende gaf aan dat sommige gemeentelijke informatie alleen telefonisch opgevraagd kan worden. Deze mensen moeten de digitale stad mee gaan ontwerpen. We zijn nog te weinig in staat vanuit een ander perspectief naar mensen te kijken. Maar als we een inclusieve stad willen is dat wel nodig.”

De bijeenkomst werd afgesloten met de officiële lancering van de eerste Amsterdamse Agenda Digitale Stad. In het voorwoord stelt wethouder Meliani: “De stad is van iedereen, de digitale stad ook.”

Check de Agenda Digitale Stad hier: <https://amsterdamsmartcity.com/posts/agenda-digitale-stad-gelanceerd>

Foto: v.l.n.r. Gülden Ilmaz (moderator), wethouder Touria Meliani, Fatimzahra Baba - stichting Saaam, Sander Klous hoogleraar Big Data Ecosystems Universiteit van Amsterdam.

(c) Henk Rougoor

Op 25 februari 2019 organiseren de Gemeente Amsterdam en Waag het Citizens Panel Amsterdam over de toekomst van de digitale samenleving. Discussieer mee en vorm samen een nieuwe koers voor de toekomst, de beste ideeën worden op de Mayors Summit in Brussel gepresenteerd.

In heel Europa worden citizens’ panels georganiseerd in aanloop naar de Europese verkiezingen in mei. Wat vind jij dat er op de agenda moet als het gaat om jouw data? Biedt de digitalisering nieuwe mogelijkheden of zie je vooral de keerzijden? Kom ook en praat mee!

"Is Google je beste vriend?"

Grote technologiebedrijven trekken gebruikers aan met prachtige, 'gratis' producten. Maar voor deze diensten lever je een deel van je privacy in. Hoe wenselijk is dat? Misschien willen we de gegevens delen die we genereren, of misschien niet: hoe dan ook, we willen dat graag zelf bepalen.

De gemeente vraagt zich bijvoorbeeld af hoe burgers en bedrijven hun gegevens kunnen delen, terwijl iedereen controle houdt over hun persoonlijke gegevens. Moet de overheid een rol spelen bij dit eigenaarschap over data? Hoe moeten burgers geïnformeerd worden? En hoe willen we deze data gebruiken?

Wil je meepraten over de online samenleving, over veiligheid, toegankelijkheid, eigenaarschap en privacy, en bovenal over de (on)mogelijkheden van je online 'jij'?

De toegang is gratis. Er wordt Nederlands gesproken.

Programma

Programma
19.00 Inloop
19.30 Welkom en inleiding
19.40 Gesprek met Marleen Stikker en Saskia Nijs
19.50 Introductie tot citizens panel, moderatie door Kevin de Randamie
20.00 Ronde 1: Wat speelt er allemaal?
20.30 Intermezzo
20.40 Introductie tot ronde 2
20.45 Ronde 2: Wat willen we?
21.10 Stellingen verzamelen en stemmen
21.25 Plenaire afsluiting
21.30 Borrel

Het Citizens Panel Amsterdam wordt georganiseerd door EUROCITIES, de Gemeente Amsterdam, OBA en Waag. EUROCITIES is een netwerk van grote Europese steden.

Amsterdam, New York en Barcelona hebben vandaag een coalitie gelanceerd om op te komen voor digitale rechten. De drie steden vinden het belangrijk dat inwoners online dezelfde rechten hebben als offline. De samenwerking is gepresenteerd tijdens het Smart City Expo World Congres in Barcelona op woensdag 14 november.

Digitale technologie maakt ons dagelijks leven makkelijker. Tegelijkertijd worden we ons meer bewust van de risico’s. Over de rechten die mensen digitaal hebben, zijn bijvoorbeeld geen duidelijke afspraken gemaakt. Daar willen Amsterdam, Barcelona en New York verandering in brengen. Zij willen opkomen voor mensenrechten op internet. Overheden kunnen meer doen om deze rechten te beschermen. Amsterdam neemt samen met Barcelona en New York het voortouw door een coalitie van steden voor digitale rechten op te richten.

De coalitie voor digitale rechten maakt gezamenlijk beleid, een actieplan en (hulp)middelen op basis van vijf gedeelde principes. De principes uit de verklaring van digitale rechten zijn:

1. Universele en gelijke toegang tot internet, digitale geletterdheid;
2. Privacy, data bescherming en veiligheid;
3. Transparantie, verantwoordelijkheid en niet-discriminatie;
4. Participatieve democratie, diversiteit en inclusie;
5. Open en ethische digitale standaarden.

De komende tijd sluiten meer steden zich aan om kennis uit te wisselen en digitale mensenrechten te beschermen. Het Human Settlements Program (UN Habitat) van de Verenigde Naties helpt hierbij.

Foto: Ger Baron (CTO, Amsterdam), Francesca Bria (CTO, Barcelona), Alby Bocanegra (CTO, New York)

Nederland en de Smart City Expo
Het Smart City Expo World Congres is een jaarlijks terugkerend evenement waar steden en bedrijven van over de hele wereld samenkomen om stedelijke innovaties te bespreken. Er is veel aandacht voor digitale innovaties, welke steeds meer leidend zullen zijn in de steden van de toekomst. Amsterdam Smart City is aanwezig als onderdeel van de Nederlandse delegatie om het nationale en internationale netwerk te versterken, te leren van andere steden en zo innovaties beter in te kunnen zetten voor grootstedelijke uitdagingen.

Duidelijk over data
In de Metropoolregio Amsterdam wordt gestreefd naar een mensgerichte benadering van technologie. Zo is het manifest "Tada, duidelijk over data" –ontwikkeld met lokale bedrijven, academici en bewoners . Hierin is aandacht voor concepten als inclusie, transparantie en ethisch gebruik van informatie.

Voor meer informatie, bezoek citiesfordigitalrights.org.

FOR ENGLISH: Click here to see the press release by the city of Amsterdam <https://www.amsterdam.nl/en/press-releases/digital-rights/>

But we will tell about it in English at the Smart City Expo in Barcelona. The book is about ethics and policy. A lot is possible using data, but how much is wished for? How much should be in the hands of the Googles of the world? Where do we draw the line? What is already stated in the law? You can order the book online at our website or ask us about it at the Holland Paviljoen in Barcelona.

Wij van Pakhuis de Zwijger nodigen de community van Amsterdam Smart City graag uit voor het programma van 26 oktober om 20:00, genaamd Tech for Good. Technologische veranderingen gaan snel. Zo snel, dat zowel overheden als burgers de controle dreigen te verliezen. We staan als samenleving op een kruispunt: willen we toestaan dat technologie onze samenleving beheerst, of willen we dat de samenleving de technologie in handen heeft? In gesprek met Marietje Schaake, Melanie Rieback en Giulietta Marani over de strijd voor een vrij internet.

Amsterdam Smart City sluit aan bij het publiek dat er deze avond zal zijn, en uw organisatie heeft wellicht ook interesse in de verschillende perspectieven die deze avond aan bod komen.

Als u nog verdere vragen heeft, beantwoorden wij deze graag.

Met vriendelijke groet,

Daniel Burgers
Stagiair programmamaker Economie, Democratie en Onderwijs

Pakhuis de Zwijger, Piet Heinkade 181 K, 1019 HC Amsterdam
T +31 (0)20 6 246 380 |
daniel@dezwijger.nl | www.dezwijger.nl | www.stedenintransitie.nl

Martin Stewart. Weeks. twittered this interesting read. It is an apt rendition of the thesis that, unless the #DigitalTransformation project has something useful to say or add to these political, structural, institutional questions, it won’t be worth much.

In June we kicked off a new phase of Amsterdam Smart City. More partners than ever are pooling their networks, knowledge and skills. Who are they? We will present some of them one by one. Waag: 'Amsterdam should be an innovative frontrunner with a focus on the ethical and principled development of smart city technology.'

What is the main reason for you to join the open collective Amsterdam Smart City?

Waag joined the Amsterdam Smart City collective because we believe that inclusive and open innovation only can happen with cooperation between all stakeholders involved, with an important role reserved for the citizen. Waag represents a critical, but constructive voice in the development of a smart and shared Amsterdam.

What is your ambition for the city and the Amsterdam Metropolitan Area?

Waag wants Amsterdam to be an innovative frontrunner with a special focus on ethical and principled development of new smart city technology. Innovative technology should serve the citizens of Amsterdam. According to the "Amsterdam Approach”, we want to create educated, involved and empowered citizens and involve these citizens in the development of smart city solutions.

What do you think is the biggest challenge for the city and the region in the future?

Waag wants to give back control to the citizens, and give them the tools to manage their environment, personal data and privacy in the development of city of the future.

How do you see the role of the residents and citizens in your plans?

The residents of Amsterdam play an pivotal and essential role in our approach to innovation. Through co-creation, we invite citizens to give input, create, and lend their expertise for the development of open, fair and inclusive technology.

What do you hope to work on in the upcoming years?

In the context of the Smart City Waag is active with several projects on a broad spectrum of topics, such as personal data ownership (DECODE), citizen science (Amsterdam Smart Citizen Lab), maker education (Maakplaats 021), commons (Chamber of Commons), and much more.