Cape Town's City Library's SmartCape public computer and internet access system is intrusive, risky, violates privacy and is still uses race classifications.
SmartCape, or its full name, SmartCape Access Project, is the City of Cape Town's public computer facility. It's a project of WeGO, the World Smart Cities Sustainable Organisation whose headquarters are in Seoul, South Korea. It's goals are to provide computer access and free internet in public libraries.
According to the city's SmartCape website, the project was initiated in 2002 by the city’s Information Systems & Technology Department. In 2003 it was awarded the $1 million Bill and Melinda Gates Access to Early Learning Award to expand the pilot project to all public libraries.
To keep costs low, it uses open source software, refurbished desktops or remote/slave terminals, donated printers and network hardware. The last upgrade was 2016 to 2017 and cost R2.8 million paid for by the city's Information Systems & Technology Department.
If one is already a SmaryCape user, one logs in. First time users must complete a questionnaire and input library card number, name, address, phone number, ID number, ethinicity (listing South Africa's races), age group, highest educational level and special skills. One has the option not to answer the race question by clicking "don't want to answer", though. But all fields are mandatory and one must accept the terms and conditions, or if not, can cancel the session. In this case, one cannot use the computers at all, even offline.
The terms and conditions, created 2010 and last updated 2012, states in general why they're asking the questions. Although it claims users purportedly have privacy, they share data obtained from sessions with unnamed third parties.
This week I needed to use a library's computers (branch not relevant, staff work with and have no control over what the city provides) not for the internet, but printing only. It was while going through the questionnaire that I had serous concerns and cancelled my first registration session. But because I needed urgent printing, proceeded to register.
My concerns were:
1. Intrusive profile questions
The profile questions are redundant, intrusive, offensive and can present security risks in that ID numbers are required. Of all, I was offended by the race/ethnicity and ID number demand.
The city is still obsessed with race 30 years after apartheid ended. One had the option not to answer but the fact it's asked could be considered racialistic if they and/or SmartCape Access Project (WEGO) are using it to profile people which essentially is what they're doing with the data. The same goes for other questions.
How is the information used to improve service? Why do they need it when they already have information from library card holders? I suspect, though, they're gathering it for the sake of it. Note the SmartCape website lists user numbers and such but none of the other information they demand like race, etc, indicating it's not relevant at all.
Critically, how they're using the data probably contravenes the Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA) of 2021. Who are these parties and what information are they sharing?
The city does not ask all these mandatory questions of library card applicants. Neither, for that matter, do others offering public internet like mobile operators, ISPs and third parties like internet cafes.
2. Outdated apps.
SmartCape's website says the last update was 2017. But from what I briefly saw of the computer applications (apps) after I registered and logged in, they appeared outdated with an old version (free) Adobe document reader and the unknown-to-me image viewer that had very basic functions. I could not print two of the four PDF documents I needed and neither the image because the viewer lacked a print function. I didn't check the other apps but the librarian clicked on Internet Explorer (old version) to see if I had internet access - I didn't want to go online, though - but who still uses IE?
Overall, the interface of the software was over a decade old with none of the polish of modern apps. Even cheap smartphones have free apps, updated regularly, that look and perform as well as Big Tech's products.
The upshot is the city has neglected Smartcape. There's no excuse because there's frequently updated freeware for most functions, eg office suites, browsers, document viewers with comment/editing functions, imaging and video players, etc. I assume, though, city staff use the latest or recent hardware and expensive Big Tech software.
3. Violates POPIA and privacy
Most of the mandatory questions violates POPIA and privacy. Once cannot register to use library computers unless one answers all the questions. This is denial of service for a public and taxpayer paid-for service.
When WhatsApp updated their privacy policy 2020/21, they threatened to deny South African and other nationality users access to service unless users accepted their privacy policy (EU law prohibits such action). South Africa's information regulator said it was "involuntary compliance" and could violate POPIA. She met Meta aka Facebook. They never enforced the threat. The same principle applies to SmartCape.
The city does not really need prospective users to answer questions, most of them intrusive, redundant and unnecessary because they already have personal details from library card applicants - only library members can use the computers, which of itself could be considered restrictive that contradicts the meaning of "public". I'm not sure of any law that says users must answer questions about race, educational qualifications, skills, etc to access a public service. For example, the key health service doesn't.
But for the moment accept the city must screen users for various reasons, then they must prune the profile questions to the basics, at present most of which beyond name and library card number are ludicrous and adds no value except to emulate Big Tech by gathering data. They are not using it to improve service or comply with the law; Smartcape's appearance suggests benign neglect and it violates privacy.
I suggest all that's needed is to be a library member, and not even that for offline use only. Note librarians act as network administrators and open sessions for users after they've logged in so it's possible to make the switch between on/offline.
I intend cancelling my Smartcape profile. It's unlikely I'd use it in a hurry but even if I was inclined to, don't like government and foreign entities monitoring my usage, even mundane offline functions like printing. I particularly don't like the fact my ID number, personal information I never put online, is bouncing around the city's and their third partner's servers. When I do cancel, I'll demand they scrubnmy details from the system.
I noted my concerns to the city's director of information Ninne Steyn and mayco for community development Patricia Van Der Ross. There was no response at the time of writing. (From point 1 on is an edited version of my email to them).
PS if it's true the city is rolling out its own fibre-to-the-home network, one wonders where they get the money for this but not decent public access computers.
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