Saudi Arabia's controversial and grotesquely expensive £830billion hyper city project The Line would reportedly track the data of its citizens in exchange for cash.
In yet another disturbing twist of the Blade Runner wet dream that nobody actually wants built, it has emerged that developers are designing a creepy data tracker into the 75-mile-long skyscraper city.
This will allow the creators of the Line to monetise the personal aspects of their citizen's data – who in turn would receive financial compensation.
READ MORE: Saudi Arabia's insane £830billion megacity plan 'needs tech that doesn't even exist'
Speaking at the announcement of the city, Joseph Bradley, chief executive of NEOM Tech & Digital Company explained the surreal idea.
He said: "Without trust, there is no data. Without data, there is no value.
"This technology enables users to review and easily understand the intention behind the use of their personal data, while offering financial rewards for authorising the use of their data."
It's an interesting concept, but one which will likely never see the light of day as the technology needed to build the city doesn't actually exist yet.
According to the Wall Street Journal, the $1 trillion (£830bn) project will feature a floating port city, a commuter swimming lane, an artificial ski resort, and AI-powered robots to serve its residents.
The project, dubbed The Mirror Line, wouldn't look out of place in the ill-fated video game Cyberpunk 2077, with giant mirror-covered glass structures and impossible-looking geometry.
But there are many who think the floating city will never be completed.
Stephen Wheeler, a landscape architect and environmental design professor at the University of California, said: “Usually, they don't quite turn out the way the original visionaries intend, they often fall prey to economic conditions or other people's ideas of what should happen, or they wind up costing vastly more than expected.”
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And the experts at Live Science explained why the technology to create the hyper-loop-style transit unit inside the beastly building doesn't actually exist.
They said: “It is unclear if the technology for The Line's transit system exists yet.
“Travelling 106 miles in 20 minutes would require a speed of 318 mph (512 km/h), which outpaces high-speed rail by a long shot.
“Eurostar trains in Europe travel at about 199 mph (320 km/h); and while some of China's high-speed rail trains reach speeds of 236 mph (380 km/h), in practice, they average about the same speeds as Eurostar.
“Underground Hyperloop pods, like those in development by Virgin and SpaceX, could theoretically manage the journey, but that technology is still at least a decade away from use.
“The fastest Hyperloop tests so far have topped out at 288 mph (463 km/h) without passengers. Only one company, Virgin, has tested the technology with passengers, at speeds of 107 mph (172 km/h).”
But of course, it probably won't be built, and if it is, none of us would ever want or even afford to live there.
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