As cities procure technologies that gather and analyze data in the hopes of being more efficient and safer, many argue they also enable new and more insidious forms of surveillance. They worry about the slow creep of so-called smart or safe city connected tech use, arguing that - especially without explicit oversight - policies and safeguards, these technologies can and will be weaponized as tools of social control. Today, as decision makers evaluate use of technologies such as license plate readers, public safety cameras, smart sensors, and pandemic tech like body temperature scanners, they must balance the potential benefits of seemingly benign systems with very real risks and costs.

In this first episode of City Surveillance Watch, a new limited podcast series, reporter Kate Kaye explores the inherent dichotomy of data-hungry technologies that, while promising to make cities safer, can be considered forms of surveillance.

Listen to the podcast about surveillance technology or read the full transcript at Smart Cities Dive.