Privacy and security concerns shaping smart city adoption: Evidence from Qatar

Information security remains a significant concern for the adoption of smart cities (SCs) worldwide, particularly in relation to the development and implementation of digital ecosystems. SCs entail the interconnectedness of networks and systems that collect and process huge volumes of diverse data. This study analyzes the impact of data privacy and data security issues on the citizens’ willingness to adopt smart city environments. A critical review of the existing literature was conducted regarding the relationship between data privacy and security concerns and the adoption of the smart city ecosystem. The data collected from two sample groups, experts and citizens, were analyzed using statistical techniques, including independent samples t-tests and correlation analysis. The findings indicate that citizens and experts had significantly different perceptions of the characteristics of SCs. Still, both groups exhibited a strong positive correlation between key adoption variables and citizens’ readiness to accept SCs. Based on the findings, several recommendations are proposed to increase citizens’ acceptance of SCs.