Swarms of killer robot drones. Artificial intelligence-assisted malware programs that hack through critical systems. Perfectly-engineered diseases designed by malicious algorithms. Today, society is constantly mulling over the question of how the threat of machine intelligence will manifest. Indeed, the AI revolution is coming to Charlottesville, but in far more subtle ways than many would imagine. Amid many incremental changes bringing AI into the area, two of the city’s most prominent parking garages have integrated AI with their payment systems to track how long cars have been parked, before seamlessly charging drivers. However, there is a dark side to this technological marvel. Major difficulties surrounding billing malfunctions and data security have emerged. But beyond just these technical issues, the new automated parking system should seriously concern Charlottesville residents about exploitative company data brokering, and immediately be reconsidered.
When these changes were first instituted, they were done to solve inefficiencies in the old parking garage systems and update technology. In December, the City of Charlottesville collaborated with a company called Metropolis Technologies to bring AI-powered software into the downtown Water Street and Market Street garages. The new system eliminates the need for paper tickets and kiosks — which had been admittedly plaguing drivers with issues of lost tickets and jammed readers — with an app and automatic license plate reader that electronically bills users as they exit, based on the time spent in the garages. Yet, this technology is often incredibly unreliable and accompanied by unclear signage or instructions. Some customers report being charged for parking garages they have never been to, or for simply driving through the lots. Charlottesville dove head-first into a technology that is not entirely successful — and contracted a deceptive AI company as well.
Although the City of Charlottesville announced these alterations, they were not the ones who ultimately made the decision to bring in AI — it was Metropolis’s acquisition of the previously contracted company, SP+, which prompted this switch to AI. Indeed, some members of the City Council revealed that they were not even initially aware of this transition. Along with this lack of transparency and input taken from Charlottesville governance, Metropolis also has a worrying history. Recently, Metropolis settled with the state of Tennessee for a lawsuit alleging deceptive practices by not informing users of price hikes and making refunds purposely difficult. Similarly, in the following few months after the installation, Charlottesville residents have reported a slew of problems, from incorrect rates to the wrong car being charged due to sharing a similar license plate number with a car from a different state. Although this change was instituted with pure intentions of efficiency, the Metropolis software fails to alleviate many of the complications afflicting the older technology.
Furthermore, the concerns with this system are not just practical, but also ethical regarding mass surveillance. The type of technology Metropolis employs — automatic license plate readers — pools customer information into large databases that are then often shared with law enforcement. Police are then able to monitor and use the information of any citizen they please. Indeed, Charlottesville’s contractor, Metropolis, does reserve the right to share information with law enforcement per company policy. Not only do ALPRs commonly misidentify innocent individuals as possessing a stolen car, but they also allow officers to circumvent state restrictions protecting citizens’ privacy. In Virginia, for example, a survey by the Virginia Crime Commission concluded that a large portion of law enforcement agencies were misusing data gathered from this technology. Although ALPRs can be useful for tracking down the location of violent criminals, it is too often used to store the sensitive data of millions of innocent citizens indefinitely and with little regulation over which officers can access it.
However, Charlottesville does not just face concerns of law enforcement’s encroachment through ALPRs. Metropolis, like many AI-powered corporations, makes a concerted effort to store customer data, which these companies have the ability to sell down the line or collect to build in-depth profiles on individuals. Vigilant Solutions, a company that similarly hosts ALPR technology, maintains a massive database of over 2 billion records of people’s whereabouts and often sells access to this data to ICE and insurance companies. These companies are known to store information on everything, from bumper stickers indicating political affiliations to the frequency at which individuals return to a specific location.
Although Metropolis itself currently promises not to sell user data, it still deliberately stores this information and maintains its ability to share it with law enforcement. Conveniently, many of these companies have no problem subtly changing their user policy later to allow them to profit off of these data pools — retroactively expanding privacy policies to share data with more third parties has been reflected even in non-AI companies, like 1Health.io. Rather than arbitrarily deciding to contract with Metropolis and make citizens’ privacy hinge on their word, Charlottesville should have more concretely ironed out user policy. By implementing this AI system in Charlottesville parking garages, Metropolis gains unprecedented control over local residents’ sensitive information with little to no government oversight.
AI’s danger does not exist as a mere, distant apocalypse, but as a current device undermining privacy. It is irresponsible for Metropolis to install this new technology despite the risks to users’ privacy and with little communication with Charlottesville City Council. Moving forward with this company, it is crucial that Metropolis guarantees individuals’ data protection by ceasing to compile this data and improving the reliability of their systems. Ordinary citizens might not be able to stop the inevitable march toward AI, but by pressuring City Council and raising important issues, the necessary safeguards and improvements can be installed to ensure the technology is handled correctly along the way.
Nat Taylor is an opinion columnist who writes about politics for The Cavalier Daily. He can be reached at opinion@cavalierdaily.com.
The opinions expressed in this column are not necessarily those of The Cavalier Daily. Columns represent the views of the author alone.
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