Earlier this year, Toronto announced the development of a new development in the “quayside” area in the heart of the city. The announcement marks the final nail in the coffin of Google and its Sidewalk Labs division’s plans to turn the neighborhood into a “smart city” full of surveillance technology to track residents’ every move.
Google-affiliated company Sidewalk Labs has reportedly abandoned its plan to build a high-tech “smart town” on Toronto’s waterfront due to “unprecedented economic uncertainty.” The project had already faced controversy around the tech giant’s data collection plans, with the Canadian Civil Liberties Association called it a “data surveillance test bed.”
Recently revealed Sidewalk Labs documents from 2016 outline the aims of the Google-linked city planning company including having the power to levy property taxes, track people’s movements and control public services.
Apple’s anti-Google ad campaign has taken another shot at its Masters of the Universe rival with a huge billboard boasting the company’s privacy record — located directly across the street from Google’s sister company Sidewalk Labs.
The Intercept reported on privacy concerns related to the collection and sale of identifiable location information collected from smartphone users by Googe for Sidewalk Labs, a subsidiary of Google’s Parent company Alphabet.
A privacy expert has quit the Google-owned Sidewalk Labs smart city project, citing fears of constant surveillance within the proposed city.