Nevertheless, proponents have still been convincing local leaders and legislators to keep installing all kinds of controversial and hackable "smart" technology in their communities (see 1, 2, 3).  Additionally, over the years, legislators have been helping to fund "Smart Cities" with hundreds of millions in federal grants.  The U.S. Department of Commerce's National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has helped with funding as well.  In 2022 U.S. Transportation Secretary, Pete Buttigieg also endorsed "Smart Cities" so it's not surprising that he recently announced hundreds of millions more for them.  The timing on this couldn't be better since last month, a report named ten U.S. cities ready to become "Smart".

From Children's Health Defense's, The Defender:

Critics Warn of 'a Dragnet of Surveillance' as U.S. Pushes Ahead With Plans for More 'Smart' Cities

As the U.S. government, tech companies, the media and urban developers double down on the idea that future cities must be "smart," critics warn the technology-driven urban projects will turn cities into "data farms."

By Brenda Baletti, Ph.D.

U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg last week announced $94 million in grant awards to fund 59 smart city technology projects across the country.

Despite widespread and mounting pushback against biometric surveillance and control systems associated with smart city technologies and the failure of the U.S. Department of Transportation's (DOT) previous attempt to grant-fund smart city transformation in Columbus, Ohio, Buttigieg told The Verge he thinks "smart city technologies matter more than ever."

Cities just need to take a different approach — experimenting with and testing out different technologies first, rather than implementing a "grand unified system" all at once, Buttigieg said.