Source · Select Committees · Culture, Media and Sport Committee
Recommendation 6
6
Acknowledged
Paragraph: 59
Review incentives for piloting data institutions in smart cities to boost citizen control.
Recommendation
Though smart cities provide a range of opportunities, such as more efficient management of resources, there are also additional risks to confidence in privacy and data protection, making it harder for individuals to exercise data rights. The Government should review how it can incentivise and actively pilot the creation of data institutions, in partnership with local government and other local stakeholders, Connected tech: smart or sinister? 67 in smart cities to address issues of data protection and ensure that citizens can have greater control over, and directly participate in the benefits from, the use of their data.
Government Response Summary
The government partially accepts the recommendation, stating it is examining how data intermediaries can facilitate data sharing and empower individuals. It highlights existing data-driven practices and discusses ongoing work to manage security risks associated with connected places technologies, providing guidance to local authorities.
Paragraph Reference:
59
Government Response
Acknowledged
HM Government
Acknowledged
We partially accept this recommendation. The Government is examining the way data intermediaries—organisations that facilitate data sharing—can enable data discovery, increase usability, manage data sharing, provide infrastructure and manage risks for those sharing and using data. to share data and to empower individuals to have greater control over their data. For instance, UK public data driven practices with which to draw insight include: • Trusted Research Environments, such as OpenSAFELY, a secure analytics platform which was developed rapidly to answer urgent clinical questions about COVID-19. • Commercial data exchanges, such as the Rail Data Marketplace, providing a business to business intermediary platform that provides access to real time rail information. The Government is also working to consider and manage the security risks associated with the deployment of connected places technologies enabling the country and its citizens to benefit safely from the opportunities that they bring. As these systems move, process, and store sensitive data, as well as control critical operational technology, this technology brings unique cyber vulnerabilities that need to be managed. We work closely with local authorities and procurers of this technology, providing them with guidance, such as the Secure Connected Places Playbook, and publishing research into the state of the market and the use of connected places in the UK. To support this, the NCSC cyber security principles were developed to help local authorities understand, design, and manage their connected places securely. Any interventions to bring in data institutions will consider the risks to security that they face, including how the data and systems they are connected with may be more sensitive in aggregate and are attractive targets to adversaries.