Data Slots

Cities are increasingly adopting data-driven solutions derived from diverse digital media interactions—from geolocated social media posts and self-tracking apps to CCTV surveillance and smart devices. However, concerns persist about the potential trade-off between the benefits of these solutions and individual privacy. In Data Slots, a physical and digital card game developed by the Senseable City Lab, cards embody data possibilities, enabling players to trade cards, develop their data-driven ideas for solutions, assess other players’ proposals regarding benefits and privacy concerns, and invest in their preferred solution. Played more than two thousand times in more than 80 countries, Data Slots shows that perceived privacy concerns as well as benefits are not intrinsic values of specific data sets, but rather they are combinatorial, situational, transactional, and contextual. By understanding the complex interdependencies that shape public attitudes, policymakers, and developers, stakeholders can refine their approaches to prioritize privacy while harnessing the advantages of data-driven technologies.