Smart Technology: A Privacy and Security Perspective

David Rhodes is the City Attorney for Peachtree Corners, Georgia, a vibrant suburb of Atlanta. He is also Legal Counsel for Curiosity Lab, which is Peachtree Corners' publicly-funded innovation center designed to provide a real-world test environment to advance next-generation intelligent mobility and smart city technology. Previously, David served as the Judge Advocate for the Army National Guard, where he advised the brigade commander and staff on operational law, military justice, administrative separations, and command policies. 

In this episode…

With innovation rapidly advancing, cities are employing various smart technologies such as autonomous vehicles to streamline transportation and other services. But this requires collecting data to identify citizen use cases, which raises privacy and security concerns. So, how can cities develop new technologies to scale while ensuring data protection?

When gathering sensitive data for public records, it's critical to consider the intended purpose for that information to establish the appropriate collection methods and verify demands for it. To generate trust with citizens, cities must disclose the information and assemble safeguards to mitigate data sharing with third parties. With the American Rescue Plan Act, cities can deploy the funds to optimize and enhance their privacy and security measures.

In today's episode of She Said Privacy/He Said Security, Jodi and Justin Daniels chat with David Rhodes, City Attorney for Peachtree Corners and Legal Counsel for Curiosity Lab, about prioritizing privacy and security with smart technologies. David shares the privacy challenges cities encounter when deploying smart technology, how security has evolved with cyber technologies, and the future of smart cities and their implications for citizens.