IPC Privacy Day Symposium – Smart Cities: Building in Privacy and Ensuring Public Trust

Energy conservation sensors that dim the streetlights when no pedestrians or cars are around. A real-time parking app that maps out and directs you to the nearest available parking spot. Garbage sensors that detect when the bin is full and send a truck to empty it. These are all examples of technologies that could soon turn your community into a “smart city.”

If you’re not entirely sure what a smart city is, it’s a term used to describe a community that uses interconnected technologies that collect and analyze data to improve services for residents.

While the possibilities for improving our lives seem endless, we must remain cautious and not get carried away with promises of convenience in exchange for privacy. The technologies used in smart cities can generate and collect enormous amounts of data. Without proper safeguards in place, much of that data could contain sensitive personal information that could make us vulnerable to cybercriminals or be used to track us as we go about our daily lives.

It’s important to think about the implications carefully. We can’t afford to make our privacy rights an afterthought.

Please join us, either in person or via webcast, at our Privacy Day Symposium on January 24, 2019, where we will examine the promises and perils of smart cities.

Key issues to be discussed include:

• privacy challenges that come with building a smart city
• how Ontario’s privacy laws protect personal information
• how municipalities can mitigate privacy risks
• privacy implications for public and private sector collaboration

I will begin the morning with a keynote presentation, followed by a panel discussion with:

• Lawrence Eta – Deputy CIO, Information & Technology, City of Toronto
• Teresa Scassa – Canada Research Chair in Information Law and Policy, University of Ottawa
• Oriana Sharp – Manager, Information Management and Archives, Region of Waterloo

You do not need to register to watch the webcast.

For more information, visit the event page.