Security as a key factor for the smart city, citizens’ trust, and the use of technologies

Abstract

Smart cities are growing around the world, driven by technological innovations. With them come several opportunities and new threats to our security and privacy in this interconnected reality. This study investigates citizens’ perception of security and trust in technologies and how they affect the propensity to use them and, consequently, life in the smart city. Therefore, a survey was conducted (n = 601) using the PLS-SEM method to test the formulated hypotheses. The results obtained confirm that the proposed model proves to be consistent. The relationships between ‘trust and subjective security’ and ‘objective security and data privacy’ obtained stronger relationships, confirming the strong influence of the ‘tangible’ and ‘intangible’ barriers of the perception of security. Thus, to obtain and maintain users’ trust, the institutions behind the technologies need to be attentive to the opinion of their users and society to keep a good reputation and a positive perception of security. The users’ opinion is a crucial component of smart cities’ entire base, closely linked to technology, and presents as a fundamental concern for governments and entities that seek to implement concept solutions and applications.

Concept of the knowledge-based city logistics: Problems and solutions

“…The development of the smart city concept is not only determined by the application of technological factors, but also by further groups of factors, i.e. human factors and institutional factors [ 34 ]. The notion of pillars, or enablers of smart city, is also well established in the literature, among which the following are mentioned: institutional infrastructure, physical infrastructure, social infrastructure, and economic infrastructure [ 35 ].…”

Contextualizing the Smart City in Africa: Balancing Human-Centered and Techno-Centric Perspectives for Smart Urban Performance

“…In addition to these positive aspects, the implementation of smart security measures is crucial for minimizing security risks and safeguarding valuable assets, sensitive data, and individuals. A comprehensive approach to security is vital, as outlined in the report of COO and co-founder, VivaCity, from Open Access Government news [22] and cybersecurity experts [23][24][25][26][27]. By connecting these threads of research and expert opinions, we can gain a more coherent understanding of the multifaceted applications and significance of Smart Cities in contemporary society.…”