Author: Jordan Richard Schoenherr
Publisher: The Conversation
Publication Year: 2022
Summary: The following article discusses how given the growing capabilities of artificial intelligence (AI), coupled with a lack of transparency in how data is collected and used, the validity of users’ consent must be questioned. The Office of the Privacy Commissioner’s (OPC) judgment speaks to this point: users would not reasonably expect the kinds or amount of detail collected about their behavior given the nature of the app. While this information might not have been used by Tim Hortons, we must consider the unintended consequences of data collection. For instance, cybercriminals can steal and sell this information, making it available to others. By simply collecting this data, institutions, organizations, and businesses are assuming responsibility for our information, and how it is protected and used. They must be held accountable. We don’t expect that a more convenient way to buy coffee and donuts will lead to privacy violations and the deepening of our digital footprint. The trade-off cannot be rationalized away. There is no single solution to privacy woes, and many users are unlikely to disconnect. Users, developers, distributors, and regulators need to be brought into more direct and transparent relationships with one another. New skills and competencies need to be developed in our education system to make sense of the social consequences of technology use, and more agile public institutions need to be developed to address these issues.