RightsCon Toronto 2018

This session will bring together panelists from the public sector, private sector and academia to discuss the privacy and data implications of smart cities and smart quarters, as Canada kicks off its Smart Cities Challenge and Toronto is poised to develop a smart neighborhood in the heart of the city. Smart cities function on sensors and IoT, collecting data not only environmental data but also personal data of individuals to interact or even walk through the space. The parameters of data collection and use are not always explicitly explained, meaning that individuals are not likely aware of what their collected data is being used for. This can have serious implications for individuals’ privacy rights in the name of innovation. We will be exploring the balance for privacy and data interests on one hand, and innovation for the purpose of improving lives within the smart city paradigm on the other.
This panel will to shed light on the practical issues and implications of leaving a data trail, even unintentionally, while also participating in a project that will generate tremendous amounts of data to the private and public sectors for the purpose of make life more sustainable, environmentally friendly and technologically advanced. The discussion will elicit thought provoking issues related to the value of personal data for companies, the government and for the individual, and to explore whether it is possible to collect data without identifying an individual, whether privacy and data collection regulation can mitigate the pitfalls of living in a connected and interconnected world.