Seattle considers smart kiosks ahead of FIFA World Cup. Privacy advocates say that could be risky

With Seattle set to host six FIFA World Cup matches next year, the Downtown Seattle Association is urging the City Council to green-light a plan to install up to 80 interactive digital kiosks across the city's business districts.
But some privacy advocates have concerns about what users could be exchanging for the kiosks' free Wi-Fi and information.
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The digital kiosks manufactured by Ohio-based company IKE Smart City stand eight feet high and feature touch screens showing a continual loop of slides. One out of eight slides will display public content like information about transportation routes or emergency services. Other slides will feature paid advertising. Users can also access free Wi-Fi through the kiosks and take selfies with a camera.
During a recent Seattle City Council Governance, Accountability, and Economic Development Committee meeting, Council President Sara Nelson said her office had been working with stakeholders on the kiosks for three years.
"It's been a priority for my office because there are tremendous public benefits," Nelson said.
If the proposal is passed by the Council, the Downtown Seattle Association and IKE plan to install 30 kiosks before the start of the FIFA World Cup games. Initially, the kiosks would be installed in downtown Seattle's Metropolitan Improvement District, which stretches from Denny Way to Pioneer Square. Expansions are planned for parts of Ballard, the University District, SODO, and West Seattle. The kiosks would be prohibited from historic districts and parks.
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According to the Downtown Seattle Association, the first round of kiosks will generate $1.1 million dollars in advertising revenue. That money will be collected by the Association and spent in according with an agreement with the city that specifies the revenue would be "limited to public purposes."
While proponents of the kiosks have praised them as cutting-edge tools that could make the city more accessible to locals and tourists alike, skeptics have voiced concern about the kiosks' potential affect on users' privacy.
"People should be able to walk around downtown Seattle and these other neighborhoods without being surveilled," said Tee Sannon, the technology program director for the ACLU of Washington.
Sannon said Seattle residents and visitors could have their location and personal information harvested by the kiosks and the company that builds them.
"These kiosks can detect nearby devices without anyone ever touching the screen or using them, even without a surveillance camera," Sannon said.
According to IKE's privacy policy, kiosks may be equipped to provide a wireless Wi-Fi signal to people close to the kiosk. If a person's personal device has their Wi-Fi turned on, their device "may share certain technical information" with the third-party partner IKE works with to provide Wi-Fi. IKE contends that technical information is only available to their company for a year. The company says they do not store a users' browser history or track websites.
Some City Council members have also highlighted concerns and questions they've received about what exactly the kiosks do and don't do.
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"Are there going to be cameras on this thing that are going to be recording peoples' everyday movements?" Councilmember Mark Solomon asked.
Clay Collett, a senior development director with IKE Smart City, said no.
IKE's privacy policy says kiosks may be equipped with one or more cameras, which capture images of the area surrounding the kiosk. According to a memo submitted by Seattle City Council central staff, photos taken via the kiosk will not be "stored or retained by IKE." The company also offers a public safety call system that includes a video-call feature, but the memo states kiosks included in the current DSA proposal will not include video cameras.
But Sannon is still concerned about "mission creep."
"Once those systems are installed, it's easy to then start adding new features that could be invasive," Sannon said. "Without having a very clear set of mandates prohibiting [the company] from collecting data or storing it, that can become a real risk."
In an age of smartphones and Ring doorbell cameras, Sannon said people already experience a lot of surveillance in their day-to-day lives.
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"But that isn't a reason to then keep expanding surveillance without limits," Sannon said, "because every single new system adds to the overall picture — literally."
A committee vote on the kiosks is expected May 22. If passed, a full Council vote is expected in June.