#BlockSidewalk

#BlockSidewalk, a campaign launched to develop Toronto’s waterfront for the benefit of Torontonians, not Alphabet’s shareholders (archived).

[#BlockSidewalk @blocksidewalk]

Hey Y'all,

It occurred to us that @TorontoRBOT's open letter signed by 30 civic & business leaders to support @Google's, aka @sidewalklabs', surveillance testbed in #Toronto disappeared from various websites & online sources.

We re-post it here as a matter of record keeping.

[#BlockSidewalk @blocksidewalk]

@TheAgenda @chrisjabraham @crowstheatre @spakin @MayaAbramson No. The play, based heavily on O’Kane’s book, and access to Waterfront TO staff who were among the worst Google cheerleaders, conflate a lot of the issues. Glad we stopped a land/data/powr grab by that corporation.

[#BlockSidewalk @blocksidewalk]

Was Trudeau summoned to de-brief the Sidewalk Labs charade w/ #Alphabet's CEO, or will it be the beginning of yet another "smart city?"

"Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is in Los Angeles, Calif., where he will meet [...] Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai at 8:00 p.m."

#CDNpoli #TOpoli

[#BlockSidewalk @blocksidewalk]

"Sidewalk said Thursday it is moving the majority of its products to its sister company Google."

"No, Sidewalk is NOT Google," @WaterfrontTO said.

Imagine 190 acres of digital infrastructure garbage installed in Toronto would now be moved to Google!

https://t.co/bkiRyN63h3

[#BlockSidewalk @blocksidewalk]

@internetrebecca Oh, brother.

[#BlockSidewalk @blocksidewalk]

We've #BlockedSidewalk. It's time to build the waterfront we need.

https://t.co/gcPlUx91di

[#BlockSidewalk @blocksidewalk]

HELLO! Coming briefly out of hibernation to boost this very exciting news. @WaterfrontTO is asking Torontonians to help define the future of Quayside - post-Sidewalk Labs. This is the question we’ve been waiting for! The survey is up till Friday 10/23.

[#BlockSidewalk @blocksidewalk]

HELLO! Coming briefly out of hibernation to boost this very exciting news. @WaterfrontTO is asking Torontonians to help define the future of Quayside - post-Sidewalk Labs. This is the question we’ve been waiting for! The survey is up till Friday 10/23.

[Waterfront Toronto @WaterfrontTO]

What does resilient mean to you? At Quayside we want to build a community that responds to and thrives under new and ongoing challenges—environmental, social and economic. Let us know through our survey until October 23:

https://t.co/kuQZHp8ghj

[#BlockSidewalk @blocksidewalk]

In other news, former city councillor & Google/Sidewalk Labs hire tasked to sell its surveillance / privatization scheme to Torontonians tries to win the Ontario Liberal nomination in #BEY.

#topoli #corporatecapture

[Lauren Skelly 🇨🇦 @laurenskelly]

Seriously, sign me up. No one better.

[Shoshana Zuboff @shoshanazuboff]

Friends, grassroots democracy triumphed over Google City in Toronto: my pick for the history of our future. Now Centre for Digital Rights digs into the drama. Watch my convo with Jim Balsillie and tomorrow's panel on what really happened in Toronto.
https://t.co/KGDcQjM34r

[#BlockSidewalk @blocksidewalk]

@GraphicMatt's breakdown of the unprecedented city hall lobbying over @sidewalklabs' 31-month odyssey is a #mustread for anyone following the project.

Spoiler alert - 2448 lobbying contacts in 31 months! That averages out to nearly 4 points of contact for every business day.

[Matt Elliott @GraphicMatt]

Check your inbox: it’s @cityhallwatcher #76!

This week: a retrospective! Charting all the Sidewalk Labs lobbying at City Hall since 2017.

Plus: Exhibition Place set to lose a lot of money and also switch soft drink brands.

And more!

Just $5 a month.

https://t.co/2vKTGwFDcH

[#BlockSidewalk @blocksidewalk]

#SidewalkBlocked! Now what? Just over a week after Sidewalk Labs announced its exit from Toronto's waterfront, some initial thoughts and thanks from the campaign. #BlockSidewalk #TOPoli https://t.co/GEMGEsvGBr

[Shoshana Zuboff @shoshanazuboff]

Friends! Sidewalk Labs/Alphabet withdrawal from Toronto is a victory for democracy over #SurveillanceCapitalism. Thanks to #BlockSidewalk @cancivlib & more who fought for a democratic digital future. SC isn't inevitable. We decide. A big day. @biancawylie
https://t.co/oqaZL5die7

[#BlockSidewalk @blocksidewalk]

#TBT: Before @SidewalkToronto there was... #Google Island! "'There are many exciting things you could do that are illegal or not allowed by regulation...And that's good, we don't want to change the world. But maybe we can set aside a part of the world."'
https://t.co/ozrtaIW2n6

[Naomi Klein @NaomiAKlein]

The stakes: If tech companies win their ferocious campaign for remote learning, telehealth, "smart cities" + driverless vehicles — their Screen New Deal — there simply won’t be money left over for urgent public priorities, never mind a Green New Deal.
https://t.co/NkH1EZr5zg

[#BlockSidewalk @blocksidewalk]

@anabmap @MariahMyriah ^

[#BlockSidewalk @blocksidewalk]

...apparently, yes.

[#BlockSidewalk @blocksidewalk]

Foreshadowing what’s to come for #TOpoli?

“Alphabet in recent weeks has broken off talks to buy or lease more than 2 million square feet of office space in the Bay Area, including what would have been one of the largest ever real estate deals in San Fran” https://t.co/jdckxAQrUY

[#BlockSidewalk @blocksidewalk]

@anabmap Palantir?

[#BlockSidewalk @blocksidewalk]

"One of the major selling points of the @sidewalklabs proposal was the so-called “patient capital” that Alphabet brought to the table...But several people who spoke to the @financialpost noted they had been watching for an announcement since Alphabet reported earnings in April."

[James McLeod @jamespmcleod]

Sidewalk Labs pulls out of Toronto Quayside smart city project, citing 'unprecedented economic uncertainty' https://t.co/iIAw9livjd via @nationalpost