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added article Google as a landlord
Shortlink for this page: https://is.gd/bl0ckS
Google, through its sister company Side Walk Labs, is experimenting with so-called "smart cities", where urban equipment participates in mass-surveillance of the populations.
== Letter of Solidarity to #blocksidewalk from #fuckoffgoogle & co. ==
The struggle of the people of Toronto against Google/Sidewalk Labs' attempt to build a "smart district" is critical for the future of humanity and the autonomy of the people. If we let these creeps define the fabric of our cities based on mass-surveillance and cybernetic control of human behaviours and populations, our chances of fighting systemic oppression would become slimmer and slimmer.
Yet, in Berlin we demonstrated that through decentralized efforts, deep local solidarity and relentless sharing of knowledge, entire neighborhoods can become strong enough to defeat -even if symbolically- the strongest of colossus. For the colossus has argile feet: its "public image" is more precious than all, and by exposing its deeds we collectively make it melt like snow in the sun... We strongly believe that Toronto can win against Alphabet/Sidewalk Labs and their plan to take over our lives and spaces! From Berlin to Toronto, to Queens, to SF, San Jose or Rennes, you can count on our undivided love, attention and solidarity!
Our struggle is the one of Humans against the centralized machines of oppression. It is the struggle for a future where we are free to be sensible humans; a future where criminals willing to turn us into numbers to better administer and control us for the sake of their profits must be kept at bay.
Fuck off Sidewalk Labs! Fuck off Alphabet/Google &co!
Stärke, Mut und Solidarität!
== Privacy expert Ann Cavoukian resigns as adviser to Sidewalk Labs - The Logic - 2018 ==
https://thelogic.co/news/privacy-expert-ann-cavoukian-resigns-as-adviser-to-sidewalk-labs/
== Google as a landlord? A looming feudal nightmare - The Guardian - 2019 ==
To fight a housing crunch of their own creation, tech companies are planning company towns worthy of Gilded Age robber barons
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2019/jul/11/google-as-a-landlord-a-looming-feudal-nightmare
== Google’s Guinea-Pig City - The Atlantic - 2018 ==
Will Toronto turn its residents into Alphabet’s experiment? The answer has implications for cities everywhere.
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2017/oct/21/google-urban-cities-planning-data
Sidewalk family tree
https://twitter.com/adrianshort/status/1118420578271137792
==some choice quotes from Morozov and Bria's RLS paper==
pushing back on the smart city solutionist narrative
'''hashtags''' ##fuckoffgoogle##blocksidewalk Toronto initiative to stop Sidewalk Labs German language anti-gentrification-related##Mietenwahnsinn Berlin / Germany anti-gentrification initiative##Verdrängung People forced out of their apartments ##Enteignen Expropriate! the large property owners '''case studies'''
'''Berlin'''
<blockquote> --> related initiative "Google is not a good neighbour"
https://www.google-ist-kein-guter-nachbar.de/english-1/actions/
and FuckOffDercon - gentrifying the Volksbühne (a legendary theater in the center of Berlin
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/13/theater/chris-dercon-quits-volksbuehne.html
</blockquote>'''Barcelona ''' (Morozow & Bria's "Green" Smart City approach<blockquote>http://www.rosalux-nyc.org/wp-content/files_mf/morozovandbria_eng_final55.pdf</blockquote>
'''NY''':
<blockquote>Hudson Yards is a billionaire’s fantasy city and you never have to leave — provided you can pay for it.
http://nymag.com/intelligencer/2019/02/hudson-yard-billionaires-fantasy-city.html
</blockquote>
'''LA''':
<blockquote>movement against fortress city districts and trickle-down housing
https://medium.com/@LATenantsUnion/dropping-the-hammer-on-yimbyism-97724dfdb6a9
https://www.citylab.com/life/2019/01/zoning-reform-house-costs-urban-development-gentrification/581677/
</blockquote>
'''SF''' (the original FoG!)
<blockquote>techsploitation -
https://qz.com/1293874/protestors-in-san-francisco-are-using-electric-scooters-to-blockade-google-buses/
</blockquote>
'''SFToronto''' (<blockquote>LORINC: Sidewalk Labs and the original FOG!)techsploitation - problem of smart city governancehttpshttp://qzspacing.comca/toronto/2019/129387406/protestors25/lorinc-insidewalk-sanlabs-franciscoand-arethe-usingproblem-electricof-scooterssmart-tocity-blockade-google-busesgovernance/</blockquote>
<blockquote>
"Sidewalk’s proposal rejects democratic government by prescribing new and different oversight and governance for the waterfront, as one observer put it, “pushing back the city’s authority and replacing it with semiprivatized bureaucratic SWAT teams.”</br>
'''Toronto, it’s not you — it’s Google
By Lauren Jacobs'''
https://www.thestar.com/opinion/contributors/2019/07/03/toronto-its-not-you-its-google.html</blockquote>
'''privatisation of esential essential services and infrastructure tales of woe
'''
<blockquote>generally, it is stubbornly unprofitable to deliver essential services at scale
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2017/may/17/the-high-price-we-all-pay-for-the-failures-of-privatisation
http://www.inthepublicinterest.org/wp-content/uploads/Race-to-the-bottom.pdf
</blockquote>
'''Public transportation
'''
<blockquote>https://www.irishexaminer.com/breakingnews/ireland/privatisation-of-dublin-bus-routes-the-beginning-of-race-to-the-bottom-tds-warn-867983.html
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2018/jul/16/the-expensive-disaster-that-is-bus-privatisation
</blockquote>
'''Rail
'''
<blockquote>rail privatisation can only be successful where there is population density, eventually all but the most important stations will be shut down
https://www.tokyoreview.net/2018/10/japan-railway-privatization/
https://www.economist.com/business/1999/07/01/the-rail-billionaires
</blockquote>
'''Water'''
<blockquote>UN University
https://ourworld.unu.edu/en/water-privatisation-a-worldwide-failure
Paris remunicipalizes water and saves millions
http://www.shareable.net/blog/how-water-utilities-are-returning-to-public-management-in-france
</blockquote>
'''Smart Cities
'''
<blockquote>"competitive urbanism"
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/0042098015597162
https://speedbird.wordpress.com/
The trouble with Smart Cities
https://www.axios.com/smart-cities-toronto-sidewalk-labs-las-vegas-cb0451e5-0b98-46c4-9ba3-4a7a04eb4ca7.html
Trading privacy for survival is another tax on the poor
https://www.fastcompany.com/90317495/another-tax-on-the-poor-surrendering-privacy-for-survival
</blockquote>
'''Songdo'''
<blockquote>https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/business/article/2137838/south-koreas-smart-city-songdo-not-quite-smart-enough
http://gjss.org/sites/default/files/issues/chapters/papers/GJSS%20Vol%2012-2%201%20Benedikt_0.pdf
</blockquote>
'''precrime'''
<blockquote>https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg22530123-600-pre-crime-software-recruited-to-track-gang-of-thieves/
https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2014/jun/25/predicting-crime-lapd-los-angeles-police-data-analysis-algorithm-minority-report
</blockquote>
'''politicians raising concerns
'''
<blockquote>https://twitter.com/lydia_kou
http://www.creativespacesandcities.com/
</blockquote>
'''comic relief
'''
<blockquote>https://internetofshit.net/soon</blockquote>
