Subscribe to the Whose Streets? Newsletter

To support Rebecca Williams’ research assessing risks to civil liberties posed by “smart city” technologies, Rebecca and Madeleine Smith are documenting trends in the surveillance of public space with a companion newsletter on substack.

The goals of this newsletter are to situate “smart city” technology in the broader context of expanding surveillance of public space and to observe holistically how markets influence policy (and vice versa) over time, track trends, and include updates on emerging stories, such as the San Diego streetlight camera use on protestors, public pushback, and policy updates.

The Whose Streets? Our Streets! (Tech Edition) weekly newsletter curates global news in surveillance of public spaces with City Watch, related market news with Market Watch, policy news with Policy Watch, and lastly instances of reverse surveillance with Watching the Watchers Watch. The newsletter will also include updates on the “smart city” research and ways to engage as they arise.

Ultimately tracking these examples and broader trends will inform “smart city” interventions and harm prevention tactics for the public, governments, and vendors. This newsletter may also be of interest to anyone studying urban planning, privacy law, facial recognition technology, etc.

Check out current issues, subscribe, spread the word, and send us tips and special issue ideas: rebeccawilliams.hks.harvard.edu.