New and innovative open government transparency initiatives are now on display in a virtual gallery as part of the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario's second annual Transparency Challenge.
This year's challenge features open data and government initiatives from 14 public sector entities from across Ontario. Information and Privacy Commissioner Patricia Kosseim said the projects all "set model examples" for open government initiatives throughout Canada and beyond.
"It's important as a regulator that we try to showcase good examples of compliant behavior, in this case with transparent government initiatives," Kosseim told the IAPP.
After year one of the Transparency Challenge produced nearly three dozen open government projects, Kosseim said the IPC encouraged this year's participating groups to expand their submissions. The regulator urged initiatives around uses of personal data for optimizing municipal services, protecting proprietary information in the energy sector and having conversations about artificial intelligence uses in academic settings.
"That was a new twist this year," Kossiem said. "We invited projects that showcased how transparent the organization is with their personal information practices."
Showcasing transparent uses of smart city tech
Kosseim said a couple of projects from Ontario municipalities best exemplified innovative ways to disclose to residents' personal data to improve municipal services.
One initiative from the city of Toronto organized guided walking tours that educate attendees about the smart sensor technology used in public spaces.
"Citizens have the opportunity to walk around a certain neighborhood with a guide who will point where smart technology sensors are along the route," Kosseim said. "The guide will tell them what the technology is used for, what information it collects, its purpose and the privacy-protection measures that are in place."
The other municipal project Kosseim referenced was submitted by the town of Innisfil, Ontario. For the initiative, Innisfil showcased its transparent use of sensors in public spaces by piloting a program that placed the technology in trash bins. The sensors would alert municipal workers when the level of waste reached a certain threshold and required someone to empty it, as opposed to sending crews out to empty every waste receptacle in town on trash day.
Kosseim said Innisfil's smart garbage sensors were part of a larger international effort that uses universally recognized icons to inform residents where smart city sensors are present.
"They can find out what personal information a sensor is collecting, if any." In the case of the garbage sensors, she said, "there was no personal information collected, and the QR code will explain to citizens that it was simply assessing the level of garbage in the bin, what its purpose was, what they were doing with this technology, and it really engaged citizens."
"Then, they went a third level further," she added. Municipal personnel "actually interviewed passersby in order to see if citizens minded this use of a technology that collected nonpersonal information in order to improve the city services."
Discussing appropriate uses of AI in academia
In March, the IPC concluded an investigation into Hamilton-based McMaster University's use of AI-powered exam proctoring software Respondus. It contains two main components. Respondus LockDown Browser locks certain functions on a student's computer while they take an online exam. Respondus Monitor collects biometric information by monitoring students' movements and in-exam behaviors through audio-video recordings and utilizes AI to monitor for instances of possible cheating.
The IPC found, while LockDown Browser collected minimal personal information, Monitor's collection of biometric data was found to be lawful under the Ontario Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act. However, the IPC observed the university did not adequately inform students of the purposes for the collection of biometric data and issued recommendations for it to introduce stronger measures to protect students' personal information while taking online exams.
Kosseim touched on the IPC's investigation into McMaster University in the context of its submission to the Transparency Challenge, which came in the form of a university-wide podcast featuring a variety of stakeholders who had open conversations about appropriate and inappropriate uses of AI in academic settings.
"We liked this example precisely because it was creating an open forum," Kosseim said. "People with a variety of different perspectives were being brought together to discuss these issues and have the opportunity to ask challenging, ethical questions about the uses of AI."
Revamped regulatory sandbox brings additional trust, transparency to energy sector
Another project featured the Ontario Energy Board's Regulatory Sandbox 2.0, which was originally launched in 2022. The new features upgraded from the original sandbox include an "as it happens" dashboard that provides timely information on the volume and types of inquiries made to the board and the status of support given to pilot projects.
Since launching, the Regulatory Sandbox 2.0 has received more than 100 proposals, with 25.5% requesting project-specific support and 74.5% seeking information related to applicants' ideas and concepts.
"We thought the OEB's sandbox was a good example of just how innovative a regulatory can be in terms of engaging participants in a transparent way," Kosseim said. "The OEB can explore proposals with regulated entities in an agile way by allowing them to test the waters in terms of the regulatory framework they exist under."
Open government through art
Kosseim said a new component to the challenge this year was the inclusion of a virtual 3D art gallery called the Transparency Showcase. It features digital paintings representing each initiative, created by artists Aedan Crooke and Amy Jiao, along with descriptions of each project.
She noted one project submitted by the city of Thunder Bay depicts a crow representing rebirth, growth and transformation by Shelby Gagnon, an Aroland First Nation artist. This is paired with a city-produced podcast that informs residents on city council matters.
"We put a greater emphasis on the artwork this year," Kosseim said. "We wanted to draw attention to the quality of the submissions through these amazing works of art."
Overall, Kosseim said she was pleased with the growth of the Transparency Challenge from year one to year two and noted participating public sector entities drew lessons from those that took the challenge last year to submit thoughtful entries this year.
"Being the first year, institutions didn't really know what to submit and how they should be presenting their initiatives," Kosseim said. "It really spurred a lot of the creativity we saw this time around."
Alex LaCasse is a staff writer for the IAPP.
