“Whose Streets? Our Streets!” - Tech Edition

03/31/21 • 44 min

Guest: Rebecca Williams is a Fellow with Belfer Center's Technology and Public Purpose Project where she is researching threats to civil liberties posed by "smart city" technologies. Rebecca has previously worked on data policy and management at the local, federal, and international level for the White House Office of Management and Budget’s Office of the Federal Chief Information Officer, Johns Hopkins University’s Center for Government Excellence, General Services Administration’s Data.gov, and the Sunlight Foundation. You can follow her work on her personal website, on her Substack, or her Twitter account.

Related Readings:

Kalia, Shahid Buttar and Amul. “LinkNYC Improves Privacy Policy, Yet Problems Remain.” Electronic Frontier Foundation, October 5, 2017. https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2017/09/linknyc-improves-privacy-policy-yet-problems-remain.

Descant, Skip. “Lawsuit Challenging L.A.'s Collection of Scooter Data Dismissed.” Government Technology State & Local Articles - e.Republic, March 1, 2021. https://www.govtech.com/fs/Lawsuit-Challenging-LA-s-Collection-of-Scooter-Data-Dismissed.html.

Musulin, Kristin. “Cisco Explains Its Smart City Software Exit.” Smart Cities Dive, January 15, 2021. https://www.smartcitiesdive.com/news/cisco-explains-its-smart-city-software-exit/593139/.

Sheard, Adam Schwartz and Nathan. “Why EFF Doesn't Support Bans On Private Use of Face Recognition.” Electronic Frontier Foundation, January 20, 2021. https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2021/01/why-eff-doesnt-support-bans-private-use-face-recognition.

Credits

Produced by Mark Lerner

Music by Zach Pfeifer

Artwork by

Zihao Wang

Previous Episode

Venture Capitalists and Public Purpose

Guest:

Liz Sisson is the Chief Operating Officer of Urban Us, a venture group investing in startups that are improving life in cities and combating climate change. She was also at the Roosevelt Institute, where she managed programs that researched and implemented public policy initiatives in local communities across the country. She’s worked on a wide variety of subjects, including economic development, transportation, climate change, and housing. You can follow Liz’s work on her LinkedIn profile.

Credits:

Produced by Mark Lerner

Music by Zach Pfeifer

Artwork by Zihao Wang

Next Episode

What America Thinks about Automated and Electric Vehicles

Guest: Devin C. Gladden is an energy, technology, and transportation policy professional who has worked on a variety of climate change and international issues. Currently in his role at AAA National as a manager for federal energy and technology policy, he covers a range of vehicle related issues — including gas prices, deployment of electric vehicles, and safety policy for self-driving cars. Prior to his current role, Devin served as a special advisor for the Office of Electricity and Energy Reliability at the U.S. Department of Energy during the Obama Administration. He has also worked at NASA, the World Bank, and the State of Delaware. He holds a Masters in Environmental Policy and Regulation from the London School of Economics and Political Science.