“The Dutch want a hallmark for companies working on smart cities.

A large part of the Dutch population wants the government to create another hallmark. In this way, the government can protect citizens against companies that develop technology for a smart city. This may also be necessary, due to the large amount of personal information that companies collect in smart cieties.

This is the result of research that Dell has commissioned on EMC. Of the 1,032 respondents surveyed, 86.4 percent thought that such a quality mark should be introduced by the government. The research population consisted of 18 to 65-year-olds. The older the respondent, the larger the group that would like to see the sun quality mark.

Own responsibility

Interestingly, a relatively large number of respondents think that citizens themselves are also responsible for protecting their own information. Sun 73.2 percent expressed this opinion. Then there is just over a quarter – 26.8 percent – of the respondents, who did not think so.

This is a striking result, especially in the light of an earlier study by Dell EMC into privacy and smart cities. The study showed that some Dutch people fear that their privacy is not guaranteed in these types of cities. This new study by Dell shows that Dutch people think they can find a solution in a quality mark for companies.

Taking the front rope

According to Bram Reinders of the network organization for municipalities Institute for Future of Living (IFL), companies should take the lead. Where cities focus on certain aspects; think of The Hague with cyber security and Amsterdam with a circular economy, according to Reinders, companies should also show that kind of leadership. The business community can link the various initiatives together, he says.

According to Global CTO for Sales at Dell Technologies Patricia Florissi, the creation of a code of conduct that makes it easier for companies to understand what citizens and municipalities expect of them is a good solution. By entering into partnerships with municipalities and involving society as much as possible, I think it is possible. It just takes a lot of time. It is good to have a quality mark. By setting out in a code of conduct what citizens and municipalities expect from companies, we know what we may and may not do. It is also good for companies to set expectations among themselves. Together we must find the answers.