"Capitalism of Surveillance": Critic Urges Toronto to Abandon Smart City Project | towns

A "smart city" project in Canada has been another issue, as increasing delays and privacy concerns threaten the controversial development of Toronto's east end waterfront.

The 12-acre Quayside Project, a partnership between Google's Sidewalk Labs and the City of Toronto, is receiving increased scrutiny over concerns over confidentiality and data collection.

This week, US venture capitalist Roger McNamee warned that it was impossible to trust technology companies such as Google to securely manage data collected on residents.

"The smart city project in Toronto's waterfront is the most advanced version of the … monitoring capitalism," he wrote to city council, suggesting that Google will use "algorithms to spur human behavior." In order to "promote its activities".

McNamee, an early investor in Facebook and Google, is the co-founder of Silver Lake Partners, one of the world's largest technology investors.

But in recent years, he has been right many tech giants and their concerns about data processing and confidentiality.

"No matter what Google is proposing, the value to Toronto can not come close to the value your city is giving up," he wrote, urging officials to abandon the project. "It's a dystopian vision that has no place in a democratic society."

This letter follows the announcement that the project's advisory committee, Waterfront Toronto, is planning to postpone the planned wharf development vote in order to proceed with a "responsible, transparent and thorough" badessment of the plans. of Sidewalk Labs, which should be submitted in the coming weeks.

"We have adjusted the timelines accordingly to ensure that the badessment process has the time it needs to meet the expectations of Waterfront Toronto and the public at large," spokesman Andrew Tumilty said in a statement.

McNamee's critics are the latest in a series of increasingly opposing views of tech investors and high-level executives.

Late last year, Jim Balsille, co-founder of the BlackBerry maker, Research in Motion, called the project "a colonizing experience in capitalism surveillance to address important urban, civil, and political issues." .

In 2017, Sidewalk Labs won a bid to develop a 12-acre area on Toronto's east waterfront. The proposal also left open the possibility of developing up to 800 acres in the Port Lands area of ​​the city over the next few years.

Originally thought of as a tool for solving affordability and transportation problems in the city, Quayside was supposed to be one of the first "smart cities" in the world, taking advantage of 39, environmentally friendly design and emerging technologies to "accelerate urban innovation and serve as a beacon to cities". around the world. "Sidewalk Labs plans to build 2,500 homes, almost half of which are below market value.

Despite initial public support for the project, Quayside has been concerned about data collection, confidentiality issues, and a general lack of transparency.

In early October, contractor Saadia Muzaffar resigned from the project's advisory board, citing Waterfront Toronto's lack of transparency, saying the organization was "showing apathy and lack of leadership in the face of the country's fragile trust." public".

Later this month, Ann Cavoukian, the former Privacy Commissioner of Ontario, also resigned. "I thought we'd create a Smart City of Privacy, as opposed to a Smart City surveillance," she wrote in her resignation letter.

In a statement to the Guardian Cities, Sidewalk Labs rejected McNamee's allegations, adding that while welcoming the public debate, "[he] does not seem very aware of what Sidewalk Labs actually offers. "

The company has challenged McNamee's suggestion to use facial recognition technologies in the project.

"As we have clearly explained, we believe that data collected in the public space must be monitored and closely controlled by an independent and publicly accountable Data Trust, and not by Sidewalk Labs, Google or any private company. said spokeswoman Keerthana Rang.

Toronto City Council to discuss McNamee's letter – and Sidewalk Labs – at Thursday's meeting.

Deputy Mayor Ana Bailão told Guardian Cities by email that confidentiality and data are "one of the most important challenges facing our society today" and that councilors will be looking at all of them. concerns raised about the project.