Architecture Is Politics: Security and Privacy Issues in Transport and Beyond

Abstract

Abstract. This paper discusses the political relevance of ICT-architecture through a review of recent developments in the Netherlands, involving the bumpy introduction of a national smart card for public transport and the plans for electronic traffic pricing based on actual road usage of individual cars. One of the underlying themes is the centralised or decentralised storage of privacy-sensitive data, where centralised informational control supports centralised societal control.

Developing Efficient Blinded Attribute Certificates on Smart Cards via Pairings

“…This raises considerable privacy and security concerns [14]. It leads to a renewed interest in anonymous credential systems, offering attribute-based authorisation.…”

How a rapid modal convergence into a universal automated taxi service could be the future for local passenger transport

“…This is being done spatially and temporally, whereby physical interchanges and timetabling are increasingly being designed to accommodate multimodal traveller needs -e.g. InterConnect in Lincolnshire, UK sees DRT buses deliberately linking up in market towns with the interurban bus network to allow a greater range of destinations for the passenger (Enoch et al, 2006); financially, where ticketing products such as the National Dutch OV chip kaart smartcard (the replacement to the Strippenkaart) now allow users to travel across the Netherlands using multiple operators on a single upfront payment (Jacobs, 2010); and with regards to information -where online 'portals' are being developed to provide relevant information both before and during a journey (see www.transportdirect.info). Perhaps most importantly, integration is also being attempted at the (local) institutional level, whereby seat brokerage systems are being developed to match a user to any appropriate vehicle that is available and in the vicinity at the desired time of travel, as in Somerset, UK for example (Enoch et al, 2006).…”