SURVEY #2 RESULTS - AUGUST 31, 2018

Friends,

Thank you for participating in our latest survey about tech platforms and other issues of privacy and monopoly in the digital sector. We had 271 unique participants - this is excellent engagement especially given we've been in the dog days of summer!

These issues are likely to be one of the biggest policy challenges of the next several decades as technology becomes more and more central to our economy. It was great to see how engaged people were with the survey.

So here's what the August survey found:

About 60% of you were concerned primarily with the size and market dominance of the big tech platforms like Google, Amazon and Facebook, and about 40% were more worried about privacy. That’s something I will take with me as the Ethics Committee restarts its investigation into data and platform monopolies this fall.

Question #1

Overwhelmingly, people think we need to talk more about privacy rights and move towards a European-style regulatory framework for privacy.

With regard to AI issues, people are split. Nearly 40% of you were most concerned about the use of AI to make unaccountable policy decisions, 37.5% were most concerned about possible military uses, and 23% were worried by the possibility of ‘runaway’ AI.

Question #4

On solutions, just over half of you thought that we should be examining alternative ownership options like platform cooperatives, and protecting and promoting Canadian IP and directly funding research and licensing public IP to companies each got 25% apiece.

Thank you once again for sharing your thoughts.

Our September survey is now open. Click here to participate and please share with your family and friends.

Thank you, Charlie