Dive Brief:
Washington, D.C. last month, along with Boston and two other international cities, joined an approximately four-month pilot aimed at growing trust in increasingly digitized public spaces through visual icons and QR codes that inform the public of nearby technology like sensors and cameras.

The cities are piloting Digital Trust for Places and Routines (DTPR), an open-source communication standard for transparency and accountability around digital technology. According to a press release from Helpful Places, the consulting group coordinating the pilot, testing the standard will help residents “understand and interact with smart technologies installed in their cities.”

A spokesperson for the District Department of Transportation (DDOT), which serves Washington, D.C., said in an email that signs using the DTPR visual language will be located near intersections where new technology is being piloted for bike and pedestrian safety. The signs and accompanying web pages inform users what data the technology is collecting, who’s collecting it, and what it’s being used for.