The worldB次元官网网址檚 lawmakers have a duty to protect children from being turned into B次元官网网址漹oodoo dollsB次元官网网址� by the B次元官网网址渟urveillance capitalismB次元官网网址� of major high-tech companies, says the Canadian chair of the international grand committee on big data, privacy and democracy.
Conservative MP Bob Zimmer offered that summary as the multinational group of legislators wrapped its third and final day of hearings of Parliament Hill on Wednesday.
The committee is examining the role of internet giants in safeguarding privacy and democratic rights.
Over three days, the MPs have grilled representatives from Facebook, Amazon and other tech titans, and they lamented the fact the household names that head those and other organizations ignored requests to testify. They were replaced by lower-level officials who, in some cases, declined to answer questions because they said they didnB次元官网网址檛 have the big-picture knowledge of their celebrity bosses.
Zimmer said the hearings have been useful as he watches his own four children, aged 15 to 21, B次元官网网址済etting more and more addicted to these phones.B次元官网网址�
B次元官网网址淲hen you see from surveillance capitalism, the whole drive, the whole business model is to keep them glued to that phone despite the bad health that that brings to those children B次元官网网址� our kids. ItB次元官网网址檚 all for a buck,B次元官网网址� said Zimmer. B次元官网网址淲eB次元官网网址檙e responsible to do something about that. We care about our kids. We donB次元官网网址檛 want to see them turned into voodoo dolls, to be controlled by the almighty dollar and capitalism.B次元官网网址�
Liberal and New Democrat MPs on the committee shared that view in a rare show of domestic political unity. That was evident across international lines as well.
British MP Damian Collins, the committee co-chair, said the hearings have shown how the companies were B次元官网网址渦nwilling to answer direct questions about how they gather data and how they use it.B次元官网网址�
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That includes testimony by witnesses who couldnB次元官网网址檛 explain how Facebook and Amazon interact, or how data from the LinkedIn networking site and Microsoft (which bought it in 2016) are integrated, said Collins.
B次元官网网址淚 donB次元官网网址檛 understand why companies are unwilling to talk openly about the tools they put in place. People may consent to use these tools but do they understand the extent of the data theyB次元官网网址檙e sharing when they do.B次元官网网址�
Mike Blanchfield, The Canadian Press
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