The Toronto Region Board of Trade is calling for the Toronto Public Library to oversee and create policies related to data collected in public areas, including Sidewalk Labs’ proposed high tech housing development.In a 17-page report released Wednesday called BiblioTech (a play on the French word bibliothèque, which means library in English), the board said it chose the Toronto Public Library — which has 100 branches across the city and more than 10 million books — to oversee data governance at Quayside and other future smart city projects in Toronto because the library is a “long-standing public institution with broad respect in the technology community.”The library is also known for its “balanced approach” to data policy and information management, the board said in a statement Wednesday.The library likes the idea, but said it would need more resources to go ahead with such a plan.“We are happy to consider the recommendations and discuss potential models that are in keeping with public library values with stakeholders including Waterfront Toronto and Sidewalk Labs,” said spokesperson Ana-Maria Critchley.“Public libraries are defenders of digital privacy and have expertise in data policy and information management. We have long played a role in city building and welcome the opportunity to discuss how we can continue to evolve this role in the civic data realm,” she said in a statement.Read more:Who will reap the benefits of Quayside’s smart city data?Editorial | The Sidewalk Labs debate needs to be about more than just privacyThe Waterfront Toronto controversy explainedHowever, she added, “given the complexity of the issues and the expertise and consultations that would be required to inform the work, Toronto Public Library would absolutely require extra resources.”The board of trade report comes as Manhattan-based Sidewalk Labs, a sister company of Google, is partnering wi ...
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