Canadian privacy commissioner raises concerns over Toronto’s Sidewalk Labs plans

According to CBC, Ontario’s privacy commissioner has raised concerns over the management of personal data that would be collected in Toronto’s Quayside development by Sidewalk Labs. Commissioner Brian Beamish argued that Sidewalk’s data governance proposals have a lack of independent public oversight, and a cumbersome mandate that overlaps with existing regulators. Also, Ontario’s privacy commissioner found problematic that the city and other public sector organizations would be expected to apply to the Trust in order to collect or use any urban data in the geographical area of the project, given that the City has statutory authority to carry out various activities that will require the collection, use and disclosure of personal information.