#Ethics & Privacy
News

CityFlows is an EIT Urban Mobility flagship project bringing together a diverse consortium of partners to launch a state-of-the-art Crowd Management Decision-Support System (CM-DSS) to improve the safety and comfort of busy pedestrian spaces. The recent launch of City Analytics, a start-up licensing the CityFlows CM-DSS software to government authorities, represents a major project milestone. City Analytics will boost the quality of pedestrian spaces, a timely development as cities look for reliable tools that can help them respond to the Corona crisis. Find out more by reading this extended article below.

Background
The safety and comfort of pedestrian spaces influences the quality of life in cities, but crowding can limit these gains. In recent years, a few European universities and municipalities have developed techniques to actively monitor crowd movements and proactively manage crowded spaces using real-time decision support systems. These pilot programs have shown that effective crowd management can substantially improve the liveability and sustainability of densely populated urban areas. Yet, at the beginning of 2020, there was no state-of-the-art CM-DSS ready for large-scale deployment.

This is the challenge that a diverse consortium of partners set out to address in the EIT Urban Mobility project, CityFlows. The Amsterdam Institute for Advanced Metropolitan Solutions (AMS Institute) and its founding member Delft University of Technology (TU Delft), brought together researchers and practitioners in Amsterdam, Barcelona and Milan who have expertise in state-of-the-art sensor techniques, crowd management, governmental regulation, European privacy regulation, machine learning, data analytics and valorization of research output. This consortium consists of AMS Institute, TU Delft, as well as the city of Amsterdam, ALTRAN, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya – BarcelonaTech (UPC), the city of Barcelona, ENEA, the city of Milan and AMAT.

Shortly after the project launched in January 2020, the partners experienced a massive set-back in the wake of Covid-19 emergency, with Milan being particularly hard hit. The initial timelines and scope of the project were challenged as large events were cancelled and tourist crowds disappeared. Despite these set-backs, the partners persevered, adapting to the new reality. In this article the partners share an update as the project reaches an important milestone.

Living Lab Projects
A key desired outcome of the CityFlows project is to boost the quality and accessibility of urban space through different living lab projects in the three partner cities of Amsterdam, Milan and Barcelona. Through these city-scale demonstrator projects, the CityFlows CM-DSS software developed by TU Delft and ALTRAN is being tested to illustrate the overall impact of the system and provide management strategies for various types of crowded spaces. These “living lab” projects are also integral to testing design assumptions and validating the software in different real-life contexts.

The first living lab project was planned at Amsterdam’s Johan Cruijff ArenA and was supposed to take place during the UEFA EURO 2020 soccer championship which has been postponed to 2021. The aim of this living lab is to showcase and evaluate the use of the CityFlows CM-DSS software during large sporting events. The software features a sensor system, including 2D sensors, that will be further built up using data from other sources. The system is fully operational and ready for testing once large sporting events can take place again. Additionally, the CM-DSS has also been adjusted for Covid-19 management, providing insights into levels of crowdedness and social distancing behavior in the area.

Similarly, the Amsterdam Covid-19 living lab represents an alteration to the original project which was supposed to manage crowds during the large-scale SAIL event that was cancelled. Instead, partners have adapted the operational crowd-monitoring system to monitor social distancing at several busy locations. Real-time data is produced and analyzed by city officials on a daily basis, helping to inform social-distancing measures and communications with the public through dashboards.

Meanwhile, the Barcelona living lab will produce simulations that predict the human behavior around Sagrada Familia. Data regarding flow dynamics will be collected primarily through RFID technology, providing the input for simulations which will eventually be used to redesign the pedestrian space surrounding Sagrada Familia. The pilot is currently in the final design stages and will be fully deployed in 2021.

The Milan Central Station living lab will be testing 5G technology through the set-up of a real-time crowd movement assessment system featuring highly sophisticated computer vision techniques. The municipality, ENEA and ALTRAN have designed a pilot using historical and real-time data collected by fixed and mobile sensors to feed the analysis of the crowd evolution inside the station. Moreover, the partners are developing an innovative 5G sensor system that analyzes and classifies pedestrian movements in CCTV images.

Launching City Analytics
The CityFlows consortium recently reached a key milestone with the launch of City Analytics. This start-up is a vehicle for turning the CityFlows CM-DSS into a license-based Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) software package available to managers of pedestrian spaces (i.e. public spaces, train stations, event grounds, shopping malls, schools). Compared to its main competitors, the City Analytics software package is hardware independent, cloud-based, highly scalable, GDPR-proof and above all, highly customizable to the user’s needs. In the coming year, City Analytics will further develop the business case, and also connect other modes of transport, including bicycle flows, car flows and public transport. The software package has been available to serve interested parties since the beginning of December.

Knowledge & Educational Activities
A key consideration in launching the CityFlows CM-DSS on a large scale is ensuring that system operators have access to the right knowledge and information to use it effectively. For this reason CityFlows partners are developing an impact assessment of the deployment of the CityFlows CM-DSS for various types of crowded places.

Additionally, an educational package considering innovative crowd-management decision-support systems is being developed. This package will be hosted open-access on the CityFlows website. Since September, three CityFlows webinars have been hosted bringing together project partners and the broader crowd-management community. Recaps and recordings of those webinars are available on the CityFlows website and a fourth webinar is planned for December 15th on the topic of 5G applications for crowd-management. Project partners will continue to develop educational activities into 2021, showcasing the results and lessons learned from the different living lab projects and other best practices for crowd-management. Researchers and practitioners working on innovative crowd-management projects are invited to share their work with this growing community of crowd-management professionals.

Scaling Results
The CityFlows project has already achieved impressive results. Despite initial delays due to the Corona emergency, living lab projects in Amsterdam, Barcelona and Milan are well under way. And, with the launch of the City Analytics start-up, the CityFlows CM-DSS is ready to scale, thereby helping boost the quality of pedestrian spaces across Europe and internationally. This is more urgent than ever, especially as cities are looking for tools which can help them keep Covid-19 under control in the upcoming months.

Contact
To learn more about the CityFlows project visit www.cityflows-project.eu or contact:

• Dorine Duives, TU Delft Principal Investigator via D.C.Duives@tudelft.nl
• Cornelia Dinca, CityFlows Communications Officer via cornelia.dinca@ams-institute.org

Technology helping to make cities more sustainable and better is not a new concept. It is the idea behind the "Smart City" concept. But nobody wants to live in a Smart City that focuses only on technology. Of course, we want to live in a safe, green and vibrant city.

How do we create sustainable and liveable cities? How can technology be a useful tool in this? How do we put people at the center of these cities and take their values into account in the development?

On the 17th and 18th of November 2020 we held two events on this important topic, together with BTG and the City of Almere.

This video shows you the event of the 17th of November. Klaas van Egmond, professor of Geosciences, takes us through an inspiring story about various values and the mindset required to meet challenges in cities. After this talk, you will see a roadshow with three start-ups that realize better streets, neighborhoods and cities, using technology:
- Geofluxus - 'We map waste'
- Asset Hubble - 'Detecting cracks in masonry'
- Seenons - 'Waste collected easily, sustainably and separately'

As icing on the cake, we are launching the new online platform where you get daily inspiration and knowledge online.

In short, an event full of new insights, network and inspiration!
Check out the video of the event on Tuesday 17 November 2020:

The Road to Smart City Live was a three day program that featured more than 40 sessions covering a wide variety of smart city and urban innovation topics including smart governance, data platforms, digital twins, smart mobility and living labs. The goal was to bring together and connect the Dutch and Nordic smart city ecosystems, facilitate knowledge exchange, and help establish new collaboration opportunities.

The program was held in the lead up to this year’s digital alternative to the World Smart City Expo, Smart City Live. Amsterdam Smart City contributed to the program by organizing daily recap sessions together with Amsterdam Trade & Innovate and Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO).  The intention was to create a casual setting for participants to reflect on lessons learned and discuss opportunities for follow-up.

Here are six key outcomes from the recap sessions:

1. Outdated Regulations — Cities and innovators are struggling with outdated regulations.  The role of governments should be to ensure the right regulations are in place for stimulating the transition to sustainable and liveable cities.  This is much more important and effective than facilitating specific pilots, which can be left to the market when the right regulations and incentives are in place.  However, changing regulations is easier said than done.  The City of Amsterdam is collecting input on what regulatory changes need to be overcome to facilitate the energy transition.
2. Public-Private Collaboration — Despite a strong appetite for public-private collaboration, organizing it in practice remains a challenge.  City of Amsterdam has developed innovative procurement programs like Startup in Residence, Innovatie Partners and AI4Cities to enable collaboration with start-ups and scale-ups. And, the City of Amsterdam is now sharing these tools and lessons learned nationally and internationally, for example through the Startup in Residence Toolkit.
3. Post Corona Recovery — How can the corona emergency be used to implement and accelerate ambitions for circularity and sustainability?  FME hosted a session exploring best practices which can help cities recover from corona and build back better.  FME will facilitate follow-up discussion and exchange among parties interested in collaborating on post-corona recovery.
4. Digital Transition — Digital technology is increasingly part of all aspects of urban life and software innovation is key to a safe, responsible and inclusive digital transition. ITEA is currently preparing several innovative projects on topics like smart mobility and future of work which are still open for input from potential partners.
5. Digital Inclusion & Data Control — Covid-19 has deepened the digital divide and highlighted the need for building digitally inclusive cities.  In order to become a digitally inclusive city, the City of Eindhoven is working to ensure all citizens have access to digital tools and are aware of what’s happening with their data.
6. Scaling Living Labs — Netherlands and Sweden are leaders in smart city pilots and living labs, but in both countries scaling remains a challenge. While some stakeholders express “pilot fatigue”, others argue that this great diversity of pilots (including many failures) is an indicator of a healthy innovation ecosystem.  Cleantech Scandinavia and RVO are looking for ways to better capture and share lessons learned from past pilot projects, and ways to "resuscitate" and scale them when appropriate.

The Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO) collaborated with ITEA, Cleantech Scandinavia and the cities of Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Utrecht, Eindhoven and The Hague to facilitate The Road to Smart City Live.  Video recordings from the different sessions will be made available in the upcoming weeks via the b2match platform.

For more information about any of the above lessons learned or follow-up opportunities, please connect with cornelia@amsterdamsmartcity.com.

Did you participate in (The Road to) Smart City Live?  Are there more insights or opportunities for follow-up which you would like to share with the community? Share your feedback in the comments below.

With Inclusive Algorithm, we would like to bring more inclusion and diversity in Artificial Intelligence revolution and business.

Our main objective is to generate more network and knowledge in the Artificial Intelligence field to better understand how artificial intelligence, algorithms and big data can be ethically developed for societal benefit by involving the marginalized groups (groups with migrant backgrounds & bi-culturals).

We just started this initiative and we are building alliances with people believing in our cause. Please feel welcome to reach out if you think we can add value to the work you do or vice versa.

Tomorrow morning we will officially launch this new online platform during the event 'Mindset voor een Menselijke Slimme stad'. It promises to become a really interesting event about the changes our world needs, the diverse values we need to achieve change, how to strengthen each other and a good dose of inspiration.

Want to join? Then join us from 09.30h onwards:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85274832895. Note: the event will be in Dutch!

Program
09.30 uur - opening
09.45 uur - keynote and Q&A Klaas van Egmond
10.15 uur - breakouts
10.40 uur - break
10.45 uur - start-up pitches, with Seenons, Asset Hubble and Geofluxus
11.10 uur - launch Amsterdam Smart City platform

More info, check https://amsterdamsmartcity.com/updates/event/de-mindset-voor-een-menselijke-slimme-stad.

MozFest is a unique hybrid: part art, tech and society convening, part maker festival, and the premiere gathering for activists in diverse global movements fighting for a more humane digital world.

That’s why I’m excited to invite you and your community to participate in the first-ever virtual MozFest! There will also be a local taster event in Amsterdam.

Submit A Session Idea for MozFest This Year: mzl.la/proposals2021

We’re excited to use the programming that we’ve honed over a decade of festivals – participant-led sessions, immersive art exhibits, space for spontaneous conversations, inspiring Dialogues & Debates – to address current and global crises. Through our Call for Session Proposals (where you're invited to propose an interactive workshop to host at the festival), we’ll seek solutions together, through the lens of trustworthy artificial intelligence.

Anyone can submit a session – you don’t need any particular expertise, just a great project or idea and the desire to collaborate and learn from festival participants.

If you or someone you know is interested in leading a session at MozFest this year, you can submit your session idea here! The deadline is November 23.

Details and submission page: mzl.la/proposals2021

The cities of Helsinki and Amsterdam have worked together to each launch a first-of-its-kind Artificial Intelligence Register.

“Together with the city of Helsinki, we are on a mission to create as much understanding about algorithms as possible and be transparent about the way we – as cities – use them,” commented Touria Meliani, Deputy Mayor of Amsterdam (Digital City).

The City of Amsterdam, Helsingin kaupunki – Helsingfors stad – City of Helsinki, in collaboration with Saidot, launched the first Public AI Register. The Algorithm Register is an overview of the artificial intelligence systems and algorithms used by the Cities of Amsterdam and Helsinki. Through the register, you can get acquainted with the quick overviews of the city's algorithmic systems or examine their more detailed information based on your own interests.

If you're interested in learning more, here's something for you. The new white paper that was co-written by Linda van de Fliert, Pasi Rautio and Meeri Haataja. They really hope this will part some conversation and most importantly, help other government organisations address #transparency and take their first steps in implementing #AI #governance.

You can also give feedback and thus participate in building human-centered algorithms in Amsterdam. The register is still under development.

On Tuesday, 8 September, forty-five participants gathered for the first CityFlows webinar on the topic of crowd-management in response to corona. Speakers came from three partner cities: Eelco Thiellier, Project Manager Crowd Monitoring System Amsterdam (CMSA); Valentino Sevino, Mobility Planning Director at City of Milan’s Environmental Mobility and Territory Agency (AMAT); and Aina Pedret, Mobility & Tourism Specialist at the City of Barcelona.

The participants were CityFlows project partners (37%), crowd-management researchers or academics (17%), crowd-management professionals working for public authorities (13%), crowd-management professionals working for companies or start-ups (10%), non-professionals interested in the topic (13%), and other (10%).

The meeting represented a successful launch of the EIT-KIC CityFlows webinar series which will continue with additional webinars in October, November and December.

Following a brief introduction to the CityFlows project, Eelco Thieller shared how the City of Amsterdam has quickly adapted its crowd monitoring infrastructure to respond to the corona crisis. Eelco showed the techniques that are used and how they are instituted throughout the city in crowded locations, or “hot spots”, such as shopping districts and market areas, the Red Light District, and in parks and at event locations. The focus is always on managing crowds or flows of people in the most privacy-preserving way with infrared sensors being a good example of how this is done in Vondelpark. Eelco also described the predictive models that were developed using the data which are helpful with determining what crowd-management actions should be undertaken by the City to ensure the health and safety of the residents and visitors.

Valentino Sevino shared a broader perspective on how the City of Milan has used data and modelling to respond to the corona emergency. Valentino showed how the modal-share in the city had drastically changed since the end of February through June as a result of the corona crisis. This shed light on levels on congestion throughout the city and showed a large reduction in all modalities during the lock down. Following the lock-down, public transport began operating at 25% which then required the city to undertake a complete rethinking of the mobility system with the goal of focusing on more temporal distribution, promotion of remote working, and promotion of active transport through street space reallocation to non-motorized transport. The data collected enabled them to predict and plan for different scenarios, especially considering the goal of abiding by social distancing guidelines during rush hours.

Aina Pedret from the City of Barcelona responded to the first two presentations by reflecting on the global challenge of ensuring confidence and safety for people in response to corona. To ensure this confidence and safety for both locals and tourists, the City of Barcelona is developing an application showing real time data of busyness at “hot spots”. And similar to the City of Amsterdam, the City of Barcelona is using cameras to monitor and manage occupancy and crowds at busy locations such as markets.

The webinar ended with an open discussion facilitated by Dorine Duives, CityFlows Principle Investigator at TU Delft.

Did you miss the webinar? It is possible to watch the recording via https://vimeo.com/460939134

___________________________________________________________________________________

CityFlows is an EIT-KIC project aims to improve the liveability of crowded pedestrian spaces through the use of Crowd Monitoring Decision Support Systems to manage pedestrian flows. The project is led by AMS Institute and brings together crowd-management and mobility practitioners and researchers in Amsterdam, Barcelona and Milan. The CityFlows project tests and evaluates various innovative crowd monitoring techniques in real-life settings where large crowds meet, such as mass events, tourist spaces and transfer hubs. The CityFlows project also prepares a CM-DSS for market launch which incorporates state-of-the-art monitoring techniques.
Join us for one or all of the next CityFlows webinars:
• Tuesday, 13 October, 2020 – 12:00-13:00 CET
• Tuesday, 3 November – 15:00-16:00 CET
• Tuesday, December 1 – 15:00-16:00 CET

Are you a practitioner or researcher working on a relevant crowd-management project and would like to share your work and findings with the CityFlows network? Send a short email explaining your project to CityFlows Communications Officer, Cornelia Dinca via cornelia.dinca@ams-institute.org.

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)

The world is turned upside down since the corona crisis. This gives us the space to think about a complete ‘reset’. How can we restructure existing dysfunctional systems? In this RESET series, Pakhuis de Zwijger will showcase the perspectives of a variety of thought leaders who will reflect on this present-day situation.

Marleen Stikker, director of Waag, is sharing her insights about the future of our digital information systems. How can we restructure existing dysfunctional systems? Together with Sander van der Waal of the Future Internet Lab at Waag, they debate how citizens should be more informed and get more involved with the ongoing digital revolution that takes place all around us. Later in the programme Bianca Wylie, Open Government advocate and co-founder of Tech Reset Canada, joins in and talks on video about her recent experience with people getting involved in Toronto’s digital development plans. The panel is chaired by Jurgen, who makes sure some very important issues are discussed.

The system is broken
Marleen states that the current system doesn’t function properly, we must come up with other systems. All kind of technology is surveilling us. There is this idea you can solve any problem with technology, that technology is the solution. But look at the Corona crisis, an app cannot solve a problem. They collect all this information and trade privacy for technology. They try to take control over our lives, to control the data. But we have to decide about our privacy. We do not need all this tracing. It is a false trade off to say, ‘I have nothing to hide’. It’s wrong to give up privacy in return for technology.

Sander van de Waal joins in and explains that people need to get involved and get back their trust in technology. For this, it’s important to inform people and specially to help members of parliament get a better understanding about all this technology behind the digital roadmap. Compare it with an iceberg: we can only see the part above the surface. But what is happening underneath the surface? There are all kinds of technology layers underneath, hardware, backdoors, data, the whole stack. It is not just the app itself but underneath is a design process. Who is working on that? What is the foundation? Where are we optimising for? How are we going to gover in? And how are fundamental rights and values part of process? This should be implemented in the design from start. Look at surveillance: it is a business case for big Silicon Valley companies. The business models are built on collecting data and invading privacy. How can we avoid that? We should have an inclusive process.

Technological Stack
Sander further explains the foundation beneath all this digital technology, the Technological Stack. With its many layers underneath the surface, this public stack has different layers that need to be understood by the public to be able to make the right decisions about data, privacy and who controls these processes.

Sander continues to explain the importance of all related data, metadata, and the use of algorithms. Who controls it? Same for the Protocols and Standards. Who decides? Next is Security. An increase in infrastructure also needs an increase in cybersecurity. The technology needs to be secure. Last is when we go again back to the surface, the part that is above the iceberg: the service itself. We should choose implementations that put the user at the centre. When we use a service, we should be able to look inside the black box. We should be able to see what goes on inside. The visible tip of the iceberg is the citizen perspective: the user experience. We can only get a grip on digitalization if we see the design as a collective responsibility. This is ourcall to action: people should be informed and be aware of the entire PUBLIC STACK.

Open standards
Marleen then replies and points at the need for people to know what is going on and get involved. It’s important that we have a debate, make sure we have technologies that people can TRUST. Even politicians not always know enough about this structure.

Marleen continues: to have informed citizens. We need to make sure the technologies we use are safe and kept to standards. We spend a lot on IT, but we need to spend it differently, set standards to vendors to abide by public standards and spend research and innovation money ONLY if the technology is Open Source. The money should be invested in open, common space. It should not be invested in patents and intellectual property, but in a common good. Using public money to build a public internet. This whole movement for the next generation internet, is part of the 21st century economics. Where you move away from extractive economic models and move towards regenerative models. It is part of a much larger, sustainable development movement.

Tech Reset Canada
An example is how Bianca Wylie, Open Government Advocate and co-founder of Tech Reset Canada, mobilised citizens to oppose plans to let Google be in control of Toronto’s Smart City plans. Marleen and Sander then continue to discuss related topics like the lack of democratic oversight, how private companies usually have a goal of maximizing profits for just their shareholders, how private companies should not control public space.

Collective Power
So, the question is: How can we develop smart cities in a democratic way? People should be aware that they DO have collective power. Marleen’s greatest fear is that people forget that they have this power. I think we are at a critical time to rebuild our institutions. You do not need to be an activist, but act as a participant, a designer, step in and take your responsibility. In helping to define the future. Take for example the NHS ‘Corona’ app, which turns out to share collected data behind everyone’s back to the new data company of PayPal founder Peter Thiel. Isn’t this a real example of how NOT to trust your own institutions? Technology needs to be handled by trusted partners within the community. It needs to be well tested. What about misuse of collected data, even in a later stage? Who is watching? And then there is the issue of function creep: what was designed for just a temporary, single purpose use can later develop into something more, other uses, or over longer time then initially intended. Who controls this?

Do you want to watch the full livestream? Visit the website of Pakhuis de Zwijger: <https://dezwijger.nl/programma/from-now-on-according-to-marleen-stikker>

The discussion of this evening is exactly the discussion that needs to take place. Amsterdam Smart City beliefs in innovating openly and transparent, with always placing people and citizens central in our approach. We do this together with partners like Waag and Pakhuis de Zwijger, who have the expertise to not only engage but co-create with citizens.

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 third 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. In this edition the panel discussed about various aspects in vital networks in our society. Because one thing the corona crisis made clear, we are depending on a lot of networks: electricity, heating, internet. And what happens if they disappear or break down?

Martijntje Smits, technology philosopher kicks off the livecast by explaining how there are a lot of vital networks in our society. We are not even aware of the amount. People only realize this when they disappear. In history we set up our own networks, such as heating our houses or growing our own food. However, humanity decided to outsource these systems and make a big system. At the end of the 19th century we decided to give governments control over these systems, so that they would be accessible for everybody.

Democracy of networks

Pallas Agterberg, strategy manager of grid operator Alliander and part of the steering committee of Amsterdam Smart City: ‘This decision is still visible in our energy grid. The electricity grid is owned by public organizations, provinces. However, data networks have private owners. For smart metering an exception was made, and there are more exceptions, for example the police and defence have their own non-public networks. However, to set up a separate organization for every vital connection is way too expensive.’

But the fact remains that we are fully dependent on the private sector when it comes to the digital infrastructure. For example, there are no optical fiber connections in Amsterdam because this is commercially not interesting. Why wouldn’t we make the government owner of the hardware and cables in the ground? Then we have democratic check. All the data traffic can be done by private companies, just like the energy networks. Alliander, a utility company, controls the grid and other companies such as energy suppliers, can arrange data services. This way the stability of the grid is guaranteed and people can choose the suppliers they want.

Limitations to the network

Very often, we didn’t know we needed an innovation until it was developed. We didn’t know we needed cars and now we can’t imagine the world without a car industry and traffic jams. There are limitations to the infrastructure. Physically that is very clear, with the traffic jams and the impossibility of cutting more trees to build roads. Pallas: ‘In the energy grid, the same developments are going on. The grid was designed in 1870. If we install too many solar panels, the system will be stuck. Expanding the grid is possible, but not unlimited. Therefore it is more wise to install solar panels on your roof instead of making big solar fields. Then the grid doesn’t have to expand to these fields (which costs a lot of time and money).’ In technology however, the situation is different. It seems as if digital networks don’t have any boundaries. Martijntje: ‘There is this utopia of setting up a digital world, a belief in arranging everything digitally. But we pay a price for this, we need an enormous amount of energy and natural resources. Networks cannot grow uncontrolled, even though they seem to.’

Joshua Serrao, of the taskforce Digital Safety of the City of Amsterdam, explains how the city is preparing for the limitations of the digital network: ‘We think about the limitations and vulnerabilities of the networks and anticipate on the risks. We even developed a simulation game, in case our systems get hacked. We have to take into account the possibility of not being able to use electricity for a while, data from citizens can get stolen or communications layers will be switched off.’ We are often not aware of the vulnerabilities because we cannot see the crucial infrastructures. Joshua: ‘It is really important for Amsterdam to collaborate more with the private sector and set up a basic level of security, maybe set up security by design in all kinds of processes.’ Martijntje: ‘To have a robust infrastructure, means we also need alternatives. We cannot control everything and manage all risks. So to protect vital networks, we basically need two things: 1. prevention, set up independent networks and 2. Risk management. Set up back-ups or think of (analogue) alternatives. And a robust systems needs a vision on democracy. Big, efficient systems are vulnerable, what does society need from these systems?’

Zoom in on policy

Marietje Schaake, president of the The Cyberpeace Institute and former member of the European Parliament has this vision. According to her, digitalization and privatization led to new vulnerabilities. A lot of organizations in the public sector, for example hospitals, use old versions of commercial software. They don’t update these because that is not their priority. And it usually costs a lot of money. But this makes our public sector defenceless and weak. And certainly in these times, they are extremely important. We have to strengthen them. Marietje: ‘We discussed this often in the European Parliament, but member states usually don’t want to share these responsibilities. They want a digital market with good connections, but take decisions on risks and safety on a local level, because this is their national security. We need more collaboration on cybersecurity. But this will take a long time, if capital cities don’t want it, the EU can’t do anything.’

‘In the European Union we are looking for laws and regulations to protect the states in the digital domain. We need a vision on the collective interest, on digitalization and AI. And hopefully we will see this in the policy as well. Today it is not clear how to apply existing laws and regulations on digitalization and what new laws should do. How to control AI? Who is in the end responsible for developments in the digital domain? And which vital networks should be into the hands of the public sector? This should be more clear. Start with transparency’, she concludes.

According to Amsterdam Smart City, the discussion of this evening is exactly the discussion that needs to take place. We are all so dependent on vital networks, the owners of these networks should be transparent about them. 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 #3: Vitale netwerken

Van wie is de technologie waar we op vertrouwen en is dat wel terecht?

Pakhuis de Zwijger](https://dezwijger.nl/programma/vitale-netwerken)

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>

Na aankondiging van het kabinet om tracking- en tracingapps in te zetten ter bestrijding van het coronavirus, tekenen diverse partijen uit de regio het manifest Veilig tegen Corona. Veel problemen worden opgelost met data en nieuwe technologieën, maar hoe blijft onze privacy intact? Hoe creëren we een veilige digitale samenleving waar iedereen van profiteert?

Marleen Stikker: "Dit soort data moet je niet laten verzamelen door private partijen, zoals Google. Het moet transparant en er moet goed toezicht op mogelijk zijn."

Lees verder:
https://amsterdameconomicboard.com/nieuws/bescherm-onze-gezondheid-maar-ook-onze-privacy

The Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport (VWS) invites companies and experts to think along about the development and use of apps in tackling the corona crisis. Proposals can be submitted until Tuesday, April 14, 12:00 hrs and must meet a series of specific requirements. All conditions and information about the procedure can be found at https://www.tenderned.nl/tenderned-tap/aankondigingen/192421

De #coronacrisis drukt ons met onze neus op de feiten. Met de meeste internetaansluitingen per persoon en de hoogste internetsnelheid van Europa kunnen we niet veilig, snel en op schaal gezondheidsdata delen voor een betere patiëntenzorg. Hoe creëren we een internet waarmee we data veilig, op schaal en uitsluitend voor een bepaald doel delen?

“AMdEX stimuleert innovatie en de data economie, en voorkomt misbruik en monopolies.”

Lees verder in de blog van Willem Koeman - Challenge Lead Digitale Connectiviteit:
https://amsterdameconomicboard.com/nieuws/we-hebben-het-beste-internet-van-de-wereld-straks-ook-het-veiligste

Urban innovation rhetoric often differentiates between government-imposed “top-down” measures and community-led “bottom-up” approaches. In the wake of the coronavirus outbreak, we are seeing rapid proliferation of both top-down and bottom-up innovations.

Top-down

Many governments have implemented surveillance technologies to track the location of infected people and monitor quarantines. These innovations are usually re-purposing existing technology but they are also controversial:

• China installed CCTV cameras outside apartment doors of coronavirus carriers to enforce quarantines and uses mobile apps and QR codes to track the health of individuals.
• Hong Kong requires coronavirus carriers to wear a wristband linked to a smartphone app, alerting authorities if the person leaves quarantine.
• Taiwan tracks quarantined people’s phones using data from cell-phone towers. The system which is described as a “digital fence” alerts authorities when someone leaves the area.
• Singapore has deployed an app called TraceTogeher using bluetooth signals between cellphones to monitor whether potential carriers of the virus have been in close contact with other people.
• South Korea uses a “smart city” dashboard that combines smartphone location data, CCTV video data and credit card transaction data to reduce contact-tracing time and inform people who might have come in contact with a coronavirus carrier.
• Moscow uses facial recognition and a 170,000-camera system to enforce quarantine.
• Israel's security agency is using citizens’ cell phone location data collected over the past few years for counterterrorism purposes to track and enforce quarantine controls.

There is some evidence linking surveillance technologies to slowing the spread of the virus, but privacy advocates warn the coronavirus could acclimatize the public into accepting a new normal of intrusive technologies. Fans of surveillance note that citizens who accept surveillance by companies selling advertising should not be upset if the technology is used to save lives and protect society.

The Netherlands is considering the use of cellphone location data to slow the spread of the virus (as is already done in Germany, Italy and Austria), but such data must be aggregated and anonymized. Anonymized data can help authorities understand where people are congregating and reduce the rate of infection, without compromising privacy.
Bottom-up

So what are alternatives to top-down governmental responses to the pandemic?

On March 27, Amsterdam launched WijAmsterdam (WeAmsterdam), a platform to crowd-source social initiatives combating the crisis. WijAmsterdam was built using open-source code developed in previous innovation projects. The platform lists more than 180 initiatives (as of April 1) varying from people delivering meals to neighbors to digital programming by the Rijksmuseum.

Here are a few more inspiring examples of bottom-up innovation:
• Coronavirus Army is a grassroots volunteer initiative developing open-source and privacy-friendly digital solutions to help tackle the pandemic. Examples of tools currently under development include the Outbreak Tracker app which tracks your location but keeps your private data on your phone. If you test positive for COVID-19, you can then “share” the last 10-15 days of your location history to the server and have it matched against other app users to inform those who might be at risk after being in the same location as you.
• Hack the crisis a global movement of hackathons developing tech-based solutions for crisis response and post-crisis era. WirVsVirus (We against the virus) hosted by the German government in March had more than 40,000 participants working on more than 800 ideas. The hackaton is coming to the Netherlands April 3- 5!
• OpenCovid19 is a program that aims to develop low-cost, open-source COVID-19 creating prevention, testing, and treatment kits to fight the pandemic.
• Open Source Ventilator (OSV) is a group of engineers, designers, medical professionals and volunteers working together to generate open source designs for ventilators that can be produced at scale.

The bigger picture

The coronavirus pandemic is fast-tracking many technological and social innovations. Experts are warning the crisis will undermine people’s privacy as governments implement top-down policies that weaken individual liberties.

In recent years, Amsterdam has positioned itself as a leader in responsible digitalization. Amsterdam, Barcelona and New York co-initiated the Cities for Digital Rights coalition to safeguard privacy, freedom of expression, and democracy. And Amsterdam’s government is working on the implementation of the Digital City Agenda and TaDa principles, guided by a conviction that inclusive and fair digitalization contributes to individual freedom.

As authoritarian regimes use this crisis to grab power at the cost of civil liberties, my hope is that Amsterdam and the Netherlands will respond by safeguarding personal freedom from the top and encouraging collaborative innovation from the bottom.

What do you think? How should government and civil society cooperate during the outbreak? Do you have examples of top-down or bottom-up innovations that help without compromising civil liberties? Please comment below.

A groundbreaking technology project offering solutions to people concerned about the control of their personal data has just concluded after three years of pilot projects in Amsterdam and Barcelona.

DECODE, an EU Horizon 2020 project delivered by a consortium of 14 European partners, has developed new technology that allows people to decide who they share their data with, and on what terms.

As a decade of change has come to an end, what will the 2020s bring for cities?

Much of our work with city leaders and governments starts from an immediate pressing need–a housing crisis or a rise in knife crime–but so often moves onto preparing for the future trends that will change all of our lives, and cities as we know them.