In a commentary, SMU KAS Senior Research Fellow Dr Berenika Drazewska at Centre for AI and Data Governance (CAIDG) discussed the appealing promise of smart cities being people-centric, but noted that technology too often takes centre stage. She highlighted the need to keep tech companies' power in check through greater accountability, and shared about the SMU CAIDG and the Konrad Adenauer Foundation Rule of Law Programme Asia's new research project on governance and accountability in mass data sharing in South-east Asian smart cities.