Smart cities and surveillance: why democracies must not lose control The dominance of private companies in urban technology makes surveillance possible even in democratic systems like Switzerland, warns digital surveillance expert Jasmin Dall’Agnola. That is why citizens and governments must remain vigilant. Imagine you are living in a city where every part of your life is monitored: cameras on every street corner, your online activities tracked, and even your financial transactions scrutinised through a social credit system. What is the first place that comes to mind? For many, the answer comes almost instinctively: China, Russia, North Korea. During my fieldwork in the Central Asian countries of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan in 2022External link, I experienced this kind of surveillance firsthand. I was followed in public spaces, monitored online, and at one point had to reboot my iPhone 13 due to suspected spyware. But today, surveillanceExternal link is no longer confined to authoritarian regimes; it operates through platforms, apps, cloud systems, sensors and CCTV infrastructures that together make up what we call “smart cities”. The dynamics I experienced in Central Asia are not absent in democratic societies, they simply take different forms, and are often enabled by – or through – private corporations. More Swiss smart cities promise efficiency – at the price of your data Switzerland, often seen as a stronghold of democratic values and privacy protections, is not immune to encroaching surveillance. While the country’s legal framework appears robust on paperExternal link, gaps remain. Data protection lawsExternal link are comparatively business-friendlyExternal link, enforcement powers are limitedExternal link, and many emerging technologies, such as AI systemsExternal link, are still only loosely regulated. Jasmin Dall’Agnola is a lecturer at the Department of Political Science (IPZ) at the University of Zurich. Her research focuses on how states and technology companies use