A ‘Double-Edged Sword’ in Moscow’s Technological Advances


Moscow officials tried to allay privacy concerns by insisting that the images and data collected were “securely encrypted”. However, Roskomsvoboda said they found evidence that the system is permeable and vulnerable to intruders who can use data and images. for criminal purposes.

Privacy advocates are pushing for a more transparent control system for this and other advanced and often intrusive technologies. “We need to make sure that all these innovations are used to help people, not harm them,” Mr. Koslyuk said.

Face Pay is part of broader efforts to build technological solutions in the city. Moscow is without a doubt Russia’s “smartest” city, especially since it is the country’s capital and the center of attention of the government. It is the second most populous city in Europe with a population of 12.5 million and is growing. Between 2002 and 2010, Russia’s population decreased by 1.2 percent, while Moscow’s population grew by 10.9 percent. And the average wage in the capital is almost double the national average.

The capital also receives royal treatment from the federal government. Moscow in 2019 urban renewal budget was equal to the rest of the country.

“Moscow has power in terms of finances and budgets,” said Sergei Kamolov, a professor at the prestigious Moscow State Institute of International Relations. “Moscow is in the avant-garde, a test case for all different types of systems.”

Two years ago, Russia adopted its own system for measuring its “IQ levels” to rank its “smart cities”. This provides criteria for cities to measure progress in implementing modern techniques and digital services for their populations. Mr. Kamolov said these are useful tools for forcing local authorities to achieve the goals set in a national “Smart Cities” programme.

Mr. Kamolov, a member of a working group on the “Smart Cities” program, points out that his ideas and technologies are not easily copied from city to city. He also said that fancy new technologies don’t necessarily have an impact on citizens’ quality of life. “Smart Cities sounds like a deep marketing concept to me,” he said in a phone interview.



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