Sidewalk Labs ‘hadn’t foreseen’ data concerns in designing Toronto neighbourhood
TORONTO — Sidewalk Labs “hadn’t foreseen” how fiercely Canadians would demand that their data be retained within the country when it first sought out to design a “people first” high-tech neighbourhood in east Toronto, says one of the local leaders working with the start-up, which is owned by Google’s parent company Alphabet.
It was announced in October that Sidewalk Labs won a competition to partner with Waterfront Toronto to develop the Quayside neighbourhood “from the Internet up” with features including roads designed for driverless cars, environmentally friendly design and innovative infrastructure. Its plans will ultimately need government approval before any construction moves forward.
The company held two public meetings on Tuesday night and was asked how its plans would address concerns about privacy, affordable housing and diversity.
When asked by an audience member where the project’s data would be housed, Sidewalk Labs head of legal Alyssa Harvey Dawson said “security is going to be paramount,” but did not directly answer the question.