The Dark Web of Urban Data: Fitness Data Ecosystems, Urban Design and Privacy in the Modern City

Given the long history of using data to shape the environment, this article argues we are entering a new epoch of information and that careful attention needs to be paid to the creation of personal geospatial data. The Internet of things has not yet left the indelible mark on cities and culture we have been promised. However, devices and infrastructures that produce and store information on the environment—and that are linked to it—have proliferated. A subset of these services is considered, specifically the growing trend in wearable fitness devices. This phenomenon is likened to the dark web in that it contains data that is public, although not meaningfully accessible through popular search engines like Google. This article discusses experiences accessing fitness data within a particular city. It also assesses the availability of urban data and expands on the traditional methods for gathering. Finally, it aims to deepen the understanding of the systems and privacy issues underpinning the cyber-physical fitness phenomenon in contemporary society.