谷歌母公司Alphabet領銜的項目計劃在加拿大多倫多湖濱興建一座“智慧城市”，但遭到當地官員的強烈反對。他們主要擔心該項目對本地居民個人數據保護不力。

該項目由Alphabet旗下城市創(chuàng)新實驗室Sidewalk Labs、加拿大政府機構多倫多湖濱開發(fā)公司和多倫多市有關湖濱改造的公共財產管理者共同開發(fā)。7月底，Sidewalk公開宣布，有意在計劃交易的下一階段投資5000萬美元。

然而，多倫多當地反對意見很大，項目能否推進存疑。

項目內容包括利用安裝在交通信號燈和垃圾處理器上的傳感器追蹤當地居民行為。關注公民隱私權的團體擔心，敏感數據信息可能遭人濫用。為了平息擔憂，多倫多湖濱開發(fā)公司同意，將遵循居民對個人信息控制權的“指導原則”磋商知識產權和數據隱私權。

可擔憂仍未消除。

由于多倫多湖濱開發(fā)規(guī)劃已推遲數月，加之項目里重要人士請辭，形勢越發(fā)惡化。今年7月，Sidewalk的堅定支持者，也是多倫多湖濱開發(fā)公司的首席執(zhí)行官辭職。8月初，由于不愿與Alphabet當項目合作伙伴，一位房地產開發(fā)商退出了董事會。

然而種種障礙可能恰恰證明，如此重大的新任務本身就存在一些問題。以盈利為目的的科技公司與有責任保護公民隱私的政府部門合作時，矛盾尤為突出。

不過如果項目能順利推行，Alphabet將首次利用技術解決現(xiàn)代社會里城市設計和技術方面的問題，例如房價高企、交通堵塞和環(huán)?？沙掷m(xù)性等。（財富中文網）

譯者：Pessy

審校：夏林

A project headed up by Alphabet, the parent company of Google, and aimed at creating a “smart city” on Toronto’s waterfront, is facing stiff resistance from local officials whose chief concern is how residents’ personal data will be handled.

Behind the project are Sidewalk Labs, an Alphabet subsidiary, and Waterfront Toronto, a Canadian government body and public stewards of the city’s waterfront revitalization. In late July, Sidewalk made public its intentions to invest $50 million for the next planning stage of the deal.

But there have been notable rumbles of local discontent, calling the entire project into question.

As part of the project, residents could be tracked by sensors embedded in traffic lights and garbage-disposal units. Privacy watchdogs have raised concern over who will control such sensitive digital information. To calm these worries, Waterfront Toronto has agreed to negotiate intellectual property ownership and digital privacy rights based on a set of “guiding principles” emphasizing people’s control over their own information.

But worries remain.

Monthly delays surrounding the release of local development plans coupled with the loss of key personnel have only made matters worse. The CEO of the Waterfront Toronto, a staunch supporter of Sidewalk, resigned in July. And in early August, a real-estate developer left the board because she was uncomfortable with Alphabet as a partner.

However, the obstacles may just prove teething problems inherent to such a colossal new task. They bring to the fore the challenges present when for-profit technology companies try to work alongside municipal agencies responsible for safeguarding citizens’ privacy.

If pulled off, it will be Alphabet’s first application of urban design and technology to tackle modern-day issues, such as expensive housing, traffic congestion and environmental sustainability.