“The Dutch are divided on privacy issues in smart cities.

Does privacy come into play in a smart city? The Dutch are divided on this, according to a survey among 1,032 respondents commissioned by Dell EMC. 55 per cent say they are not afraid of privacy issues, while 44 per cent are afraid that their privacy is at risk.

Older respondents in particular said they were afraid that their privacy would not be guaranteed in a smart city. The statement “I am afraid that my privacy is not guaranteed in a smart city” was answered with “yes” by 57% of the 60 to 65 year olds. More than 38 percent of the respondents under the age of 40 gave the same answer. Furthermore, a relatively large number of people in the north and west of our country are worried about guaranteeing their privacy.

According to Dell EMC, the fear can be explained by the fact that many people do not know exactly what the municipality is doing to make the place of residence ‘smarter’. For example, 15 per cent said that their municipality had already taken steps that are part of a smart city. 44 percent say this is not the case, 40 percent have no idea.

In the Northern Netherlands, 52.1 percent of the respondents said that no steps have yet been taken. In the south, people often say that this is the case (18.2 percent). The answer option ‘I don’t know’ was relatively more often answered by people on low incomes.

Transition generation

Patricia Florissi, Global CTO for Sales Dell Technologies, explains that the best technology has been incorporated into people’s everyday lives to such an extent that they no longer understand that it is technology. “This development towards smart cities has yet to be completed in many municipalities in the Netherlands. In addition, a transition generation is now growing. That generation interacts differently with technology and the world,” says Florissi.