Privacy Issues of Smart Cities: Legal Outlook

Abstract

The biggest consumers of technology in recent decades are the urban and semi-urban populace, especially in the developing economies. This integration of humans and technology has unravelled novel challenges in protecting various socio-economic rights of the people, enshrined in the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UNSDG). This paper tends to unravel the truth behind such promises in the Indian context, in her endeavour to bridge the digital divide in the internet of things. The paper focuses upon the current position of privacy laws in India and makes a contrast with leading democracies to unearth the challenges; technology would have to address in the coming decades. The debate involved in ‘realization and recognition’ coupled with enforcement mechanisms adopted in India would be integrated with this paper to clarify the need for protecting data privacy towards a sustainable and smart city.