Smart city data worries minorities

Experts unsurprised by results of study on privacy, data collection

Visible minorities and Indigenous people are more concerned about how their private information is used in the development of smart cities and are more likely to object to the sharing of data with police, a new survey shows.

The national study, “Privacy and Smart Cities: A Canadian Survey,” also says 88 per cent of survey respondents, regardless of background, are concerned on some level about their privacy, with 23 per cent being extremely concerned.

“Participants who identified as visible minorities and Indig- enous people objected in greater number ... to the collection of personal information for policing,” the study states. Study co-author Angela Orasch, a McMaster University PhD student, said these groups tend to be “over targeted” by police and may resist further sharing of personal details because they “have already experienced what over-surveillance looks like.”

“That to me is a big finding,” she said. The McMaster-led survey questioned 1,011 people across the country last October and sought to explore Canadians’ tolerance for and general understanding of how smart city adopts digital data-driven technologies in the planning and delivery of municipal services.

The findings don’t come as a surprise to Anthony Morgan, a Black Toronto-based human rights lawyer.

“What we have, when it comes to data collection, is a democratic deficit,” he said of Black and Indigenous people not having control of how, when and for what reasons thier personal data is collected and used.

“That aversion to that collection is reflective of that, because there is outright distrust.

“They weren’t involved in the planning, in the design or development of those designs, so there is a lack of willingness to participate,” Morgan said. “There is a history of data being used to significantly harm racialized and Indigenous communities.”

Data sovereignty is a concern in First Nations communities, said Isadore Day, a former Assembly of First Nations Regional Chief for Ontario.

“There is generally a fear and that fear is legitimized because of the institutional racism that’s often there,” said Day, a former chief of Serpent River First Nation.

Disenfranchised groups need a more active role in sanctioning data usage, said Dr. Avner Levin, a Ryerson University professor and former director of the Privacy and Cyber Crime Institute.

The survey findings aren’t a surprise to Dr. Avner Levin, a Ryerson University professor and former director of the Privacy and Cyber Crime Institute, who said they were “a sort of sad and expected outcome.”

He cited random street checks or carding as an example of how data collection can negatively impact racialized groups.

“The answer lies in putting clear limits on what potential uses down the line are allowed and who’s allowed to have access to this information,” Levin said.

In his annual report tabled in September, Canada’s privacy commissioner Daniel Therrien said there’s an urgent need for stronger laws to protect personal information.

“There is a history of data being used to significantly harm racialized and Indigenous communities.” ANTHONY MORGAN HUMAN RIGHTS LAWYER