
Toronto will be the first city in North America to adopt a policy on open data
TORONTO, ON – OCTOBER 15: A user walks through a photo gallery of photos uploaded to Instagram.
(Photo by Alamy) Toronto has the highest per capita use of mobile data in the country, with more than 7 million people accessing the internet every day, according to a recent report by the Canadian Association of Broadcasters (CAB).
In addition to being a digital powerhouse, Toronto is also home to one of the world’s largest data centres.
This is not an accident, said the report, titled ‘Mobile’s New Frontier’.
“The new infrastructure and technological challenges of the digital era have resulted in the need for greater transparency and accountability around data usage, especially in the data-driven age.
We are seeing a surge in innovation that could benefit our citizens by enabling more transparent, accountable and accessible public data.”
The report was released ahead of a meeting of the Council of Canadians in Toronto on Tuesday.
The Toronto Mayor Rob Ford’s office has not commented on the report.
The CAB study found that people with more mobile data usage tend to be older, white, male and working in technology.
“Mobile has become a key tool for social media and the internet of things, which is a huge opportunity for Canada, and we are seeing an incredible growth in this space,” said Daniel Jablonski, Executive Director of the CAB.
“It’s not surprising that people in these demographic groups are being targeted with increased data usage and increased cost to the country.”
The Cab study looked at data usage from July 2017 to June 2018 and found that while users aged 18-35 were the most likely to access the internet, the next most popular age group was 35-54.
The study found mobile usage was on the rise across the country and that in urban centres, it was a concern for residents.
According to the report’s analysis, Toronto’s city limits are among the most populated and have the largest concentration of smartphones.
The report notes that there are many factors that contribute to the increasing use of data, including social media, location data and the growing number of devices that users access through mobile devices.
However, one factor that appears to be the cause is that people are getting more comfortable with the concept of data sharing.
According the report: “A growing proportion of Canadian adults are starting to view sharing of their personal data as a natural and acceptable part of the modern social relationship.
While there has been a significant shift in thinking about privacy and data sharing in recent years, this is perhaps the most striking manifestation of this shift.
In many cases, people are already comfortable sharing their personal information and accessing it with others.”
While the report notes there are a number of factors that play a role in increasing usage, it points out that there has never been a national conversation about mobile data and privacy in Canada.
“The fact that mobile data is becoming a more common part of daily life does not mean that we have stopped talking about it,” said Jablenski.
“We have to continue to engage Canadians about what data sharing is, what are the implications of it and how it impacts their lives.”
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