Page 9 - Cyber Nation: How the Digital Revolution Is Changing Society

A Smart City

Singapore, a small nation consisting of a single city on an island in Southeast Asia,
has turned itself into one of the world’s rst smart cities. Its Smart Nation initia-
tive is actively testing out a variety of digital solutions meant to improve housing,
health, and transportation. “In Singapore, we know that new technology trumps
politics as usual,” says Dr. Vivian Balakrishnan, the country’s minister for foreign
affairs, who also leads the Smart Nation initiative.
In one neighborhood in the city, thousands of sensors on people’s apartments
measure how much water and energy they use and how much waste they throw
away. This feedback helps people save resources and helps the government de-
sign more effective programs. On the streets of Singapore, self-driving taxis and
buses already shuttle people around. The city imposes high taxes on private cars,
so most people rely on public transportation. By 2020 the city plans to require all
vehicles in the city to use the same navigation system. The system will keep track
of where every car in the city is at all times. Authorities will be able to monitor traf-
c conditions and watch for problems in real time.

Quoted in Aaron Souppouris, “Singapore Is Striving to Be the World’s First ‘Smart City,’” Engadget (blog), November 3,
2016. www.engadget.com.

monitoring, location tracking, and targeting for recruitment, or
to gain access to networks or user credentials,” says James
66
Clapper, former director of national intelligence. Maybe the boy
in the fi ctional story at the beginning of this chapter knows that
his government is watching his every move and will step in im-
mediately if he misbehaves.

A Society Divided
As digital technology advances, people with access to digital
devices and companies that engineer smart systems will be-
come ever more wealthy and powerful, while those without ac-
cess will become poorer and more dependent on others. This
“digital divide” already exists. Wealthier, more educated people

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