scholarly journals (Smart) Citizens from Data Providers to Decision-Makers? The Case Study of Barcelona

2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (9) ◽  
pp. 3252 ◽  
Author(s):  
Igor Calzada

Against the backdrop of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) taking effect in the European Union (EU), a debate emerged about the role of citizens and their relationship with data. European city authorities claim that (smart) citizens are as important to a successful smart city program as data and technology are, and that those citizens must be convinced of the benefits and security of such initiatives. This paper examines how the city of Barcelona is marking a transition from the conventional, hegemonic smart city approach to a new paradigm—the experimental city. Through (i) a literature review, (ii) carrying out twenty in-depth interviews with key stakeholders, and (iii) actively participating in three symposiums in Barcelona from September 2017 to March 2018, this paper elucidates how (smart) citizens are increasingly considered decision-makers rather than data providers. This paper considers (i) the implications of the technopolitics of data ownership and, as a result, (ii) the ongoing implementation of the Digital Plan 2017–2020, its three experimental strategies, and the related seven strategic initiatives. This paper concludes that, from the policy perspective, smartness may not be appealing in Barcelona, although the experimental approach has yet to be entirely established as a paradigm.

Author(s):  
Luciano Floridi

The article discusses the governance of the digital as the new challenge posed by technological innovation. It then introduces a new distinction between soft ethics , which applies after legal compliance with legislation, such as the General Data Protection Regulation in the European Union, and hard ethics , which precedes and contributes to shape legislation. It concludes by developing an analysis of the role of digital ethics with respect to digital regulation and digital governance. This article is part of the theme issue ‘Governing artificial intelligence: ethical, legal, and technical opportunities and challenges’.


Author(s):  
Meg Leta Jones ◽  
Elizabeth Edenberg

This chapter addresses the controversy over the role of consent in data protection, as artificial intelligence systems have proliferated in people’s daily lives. Digital consent has been criticized as a meaningless, procedural act because users encounter so many different, long, and complicated terms of service that do not help them effectively assess potential harms or threats. AI systems have played a role in exacerbating existing issues, creating new challenges, and presenting alternative solutions. Most of the critiques and cures for this broken arrangement address choice-making, not consent. As the United States debates whether and why to break up big tech, and the European Union considers enforcement actions under the General Data Protection Regulation and how to update its laws to address tracking techniques in a new AI-driven smart world, consent cannot be confused with choice. Consent must be defined by its moral core, involving clear background conditions, defined scope, knowledge, voluntariness, and fairness. When consent meets these demands, it remains a powerful tool for contributing to meaningful data protection at the individual and societal levels.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mathias Vermeulen

Independent researchers have requested access to a wide variety of platform data in order to scrutinize the actors and methods responsible for the spreading of disinformation, as well as to assess the effectiveness and impact of the self-regulatory measures platforms have taken to counter disinformation. Over the past two years the European Union has increasingly supported these requests, including by facilitating the adoption of the EU Code of Practice on Disinformation, in which platforms committed themselves to provide such access through a variety of mechanisms. However, both European decision makers and researchers have consistently criticized the insufficiency of these mechanisms. On a number of occasions platforms have invoked their obligations under the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) as rationale for failing to make certain data sets available. This paper aims to assess those claims in order to clarify to which extent, if any, GDPR concerns prevent the disclosure of (sensitive) personal data by platforms to independent researchers. The paper will argue that the GDPR currently allows the sharing of personal data for such purposes in a number of ways, but recommends the adoption of a binding legal obligation for platforms to hand over data and a Code of Conduct on Access To Platform Data under Article 40 of the GDPR as necessary measures to provide more legal certainty about the specific roles and responsibilities of both platforms and independent researchers.


Pro Futuro ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Gizem Gültekin Várkonyi

This paper presents a general overview of the problems regarding the regulation of artificial intelligence (AI) raised in the official published works of the European Union (EU) and interprets these problems from the perspective of the Hungarian experts as a case study. Even though a new regulation on AI has already been proposed at the EU level, the paper evaluates specific rules and principles regarding data protection since data is the lifeblood of AI systems and the protection of such data is a fundamental right enshrined in the EU legislation via the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). The result of the study shows that the application of the GDPR on AI systems in an efficient and uniform way might be at stake since different outputs were generated by the experts to the same legal questions deriving from a scenario presented.


Author(s):  
Ewan Ferlie ◽  
Sue Dopson ◽  
Chris Bennett ◽  
Michael D. Fischer ◽  
Jean Ledger ◽  
...  

This chapter analyses the role of think tanks in generating a distinctive mode of policy knowledge, pragmatically orientated to inform and shape issues of importance to civil society. Drawing on political science literature, we argue that think tanks exploit niche areas of expertise and influence to actively mobilize policy analyses and recommendations across diverse stakeholders. Through our exploratory mapping of think tanks, geographically concentrated within London, we characterize their influence as significantly boosting knowledge intensity across the regional ecosystem. In particular, we study the empirical case of one London-based think tank which powerfully mobilized policy knowledge through its formal and informal networks to build influential expert consensus amongst key stakeholders. We conclude that such organizations act as key knowledge producers and mobilizers, with significant potential to influence policy discourses and implementation.


2017 ◽  
Vol 31 (2) ◽  
pp. 192-206 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christina Holm-Petersen ◽  
Sussanne Østergaard ◽  
Per Bo Noergaard Andersen

Purpose Centralization, mergers and cost reductions have generally led to increasing levels of span of control (SOC), and thus potentially to lower leadership capacity. The purpose of this paper is to explore how a large SOC impacts hospital staff and their leaders. Design/methodology/approach The study is based on a qualitative explorative case study of three large inpatient wards. Findings The study finds that the nursing staff and their frontline leaders experience challenges in regard to visibility and role of the leader, e.g., in creating overview, coordination, setting-up clear goals, following up and being in touch. However, large wards also provide flexibility and development possibilities. Practical implications The authors discuss the implications of these findings for decision makers in deciding future SOC and for future SOC research. Originality/value Only few studies have qualitatively explored the consequences of large SOC in hospitals.


2018 ◽  
Vol 25 (3) ◽  
pp. 284-307
Author(s):  
Giovanni Comandè ◽  
Giulia Schneider

Abstract Health data are the most special of the ‘special categories’ of data under Art. 9 of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). The same Art. 9 GDPR prohibits, with broad exceptions, the processing of ‘data concerning health’. Our thesis is that, through data mining technologies, health data have progressively undergone a process of distancing from the healthcare sphere as far as the generation, the processing and the uses are concerned. The case study aims thus to test the endurance of the ‘special category’ of health data in the face of data mining technologies and the never-ending lifecycles of health data they feed. At a more general level of analysis, the case of health data shows that data mining techniques challenge core data protection notions, such as the distinction between sensitive and non-sensitive personal data, requiring a shift in terms of systemic perspectives that the GDPR only partly addresses.


2019 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Hanny Maria Caesarina ◽  
Nahdi Saubari

Ruang terbuka hijau telah dikenal memiliki peranan yang penting dalam meningkatkan kualitas lingkungan perkotaan. Ruang terbuka hijau dalam perencanaan kota kerap dianggap sebagai elemen pendukung terwujudnya smart city. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk menemukan seberapa jauh peran ruang terbuka hijau lewat penyediaan wifi corner dalam perencanaan kota menuju konsep smart city. Metode yang digunakan adalah deskriptif kualitatif berdasarkan observasi, survey lapangan dan serangkaian wawancara. Studi kasus yang diambil dalam penelitian ini adalah dua kota di Kalimantan Selatan, yaitu Banjarmasin dan Banjarbaru yang telah memiliki konsep smart city. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa ruang terbuka hijau dalam perencanaan kota memiliki potensi yang kuat sebagai elemen pembentuk smart city. Apabila ruang terbuka hijau suatu kota telah direncanakan dengan baik dari berbagai segi fasilitas dan terkoneksi dengan jaringan internet yang berkualitas, maka dengan sendirinya konsep smart city akan lebih mudah dicapai. Kata kunci: perencanaan kota, ruang terbuka hijau, smart city, wifi corner. Green space has an important role in enhancing environmental quality of a city. Green space often considered as a supporting element for the concept of smart city. This research intended to acknowledge the role of green space through the installation of wifi corner in urban planning towards smart city. The methods that has been used was descriptive qualitative through observation, field survey and interviews. The case study in this research were Banjarmasin and Banjarbaru which already has the smart city concepts. The result shows that green space in urban planning is a potential element towards smart city. A well good planned green space with all the facilities that connected to a good internet network in a city might help forming the concept of smart city. Keywords: green space, smart city, urban planning, wifi corner.


Hypertension ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 77 (4) ◽  
pp. 1029-1035
Author(s):  
Antonia Vlahou ◽  
Dara Hallinan ◽  
Rolf Apweiler ◽  
Angel Argiles ◽  
Joachim Beige ◽  
...  

The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) became binding law in the European Union Member States in 2018, as a step toward harmonizing personal data protection legislation in the European Union. The Regulation governs almost all types of personal data processing, hence, also, those pertaining to biomedical research. The purpose of this article is to highlight the main practical issues related to data and biological sample sharing that biomedical researchers face regularly, and to specify how these are addressed in the context of GDPR, after consulting with ethics/legal experts. We identify areas in which clarifications of the GDPR are needed, particularly those related to consent requirements by study participants. Amendments should target the following: (1) restricting exceptions based on national laws and increasing harmonization, (2) confirming the concept of broad consent, and (3) defining a roadmap for secondary use of data. These changes will be achieved by acknowledged learned societies in the field taking the lead in preparing a document giving guidance for the optimal interpretation of the GDPR, which will be finalized following a period of commenting by a broad multistakeholder audience. In parallel, promoting engagement and education of the public in the relevant issues (such as different consent types or residual risk for re-identification), on both local/national and international levels, is considered critical for advancement. We hope that this article will open this broad discussion involving all major stakeholders, toward optimizing the GDPR and allowing a harmonized transnational research approach.


Author(s):  
Yola Georgiadou ◽  
Rolf de By ◽  
Ourania Kounadi

The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) protects the personal data of natural persons and at the same time allows the free movement of such data within the European Union (EU). Hailed as majestic by admirers and dismissed as protectionist by critics, the Regulation is expected to have a profound impact around the world, including in the African Union (AU). For European–African consortia conducting research that may affect the privacy of African citizens, the question is ‘how to protect personal data of data subjects while at the same time ensuring a just distribution of the benefits of a global digital ecosystem?’ We use location privacy as a point of departure, because information about an individual’s location is different from other kinds of personally identifiable information. We analyse privacy at two levels, individual and cultural. Our perspective is interdisciplinary: we draw from computer science to describe three scenarios of transformation of volunteered/observed information to inferred information about a natural person and from cultural theory to distinguish four privacy cultures emerging within the EU in the wake of GDPR. We highlight recent data protection legislation in the AU and discuss factors that may accelerate or inhibit the alignment of data protection legislation in the AU with the GDPR.


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