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A repository of evidence-based true stories of technology-related governance dilemma across various sectors shared by industry, policy and academic experts.

FEATURED CASE STUDIES

Privacy vs. Public Good: Canada’s Data Dilemma in a Crisis

Florian Kerschbaum

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Public Health Authority of Canada (PHAC) was trying to understand movement patterns of the population to optimize health services. PHAC approached mobile phone network providers, including Telus, requesting anonymized data about the movement patterns of their cell phone users. The data governance officer at Telus, Pam Snively, now faced a dilemma: to share and support PHAC, or not to share and protect Telus from negative legal and public perception consequences.

When Goodwill Turns Bad: The Case of Lightspeed Commerce Inc.

Bruce McConomy

Lightspeed Commerce Inc. was once among the darlings of the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX), with a peak share price of over $150 in 2021. But the high rate of growth was not sustainable for this Canadian-based software provider, and its share price dropped by more than 85 percent by the middle of 2022. The case requires participants to discuss the difference between intangible assets and goodwill, assess the nature of goodwill impairment, discuss the nature of pro forma measures of income.

Digital Sovereignty vs. Trade Liberalization: India’s Algorithm Disclosure Dilemma

Barry Appleton

This case explores India’s dilemma at the intersection of algorithmic governance, digital sovereignty and international trade law. In this hypothetical scenario, India must decide whether to uphold their new algorithm disclosure rules under the Digital Personal Data Protection Act (DPDPA), 2023, or to amend them to avoid derailing a nearly finalized UK-India Free Trade Agreement (UK-India FTA).

A Juggling Act: Canada’s Role in the Global Regulation of Responsible Military AI

Branka Marijan

As artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled systems become increasingly prevalent on contemporary battlefields, global discussions on AI are receiving more attention. Without clear norms and accountability mechanisms, the deployment of AI in military systems risks escalating tensions and undermining humanitarian and legal safeguards.

The Challenges of Accountability in AI for Immigration: The IRCC and Canadian AI Governance

Ana Brandusescu

The use of AI in the IRCC continues to be a topic of debate, especially regarding ethical concerns and the potential for harm. While AI has been used to streamline processes, several of its uses by the IRCC have raised concerns.

RECENT CASE STUDIES

Consent or Compromise? The Hidden Costs of AI in Cervical Cancer Screening

AI,  Data Governance,  Health,  Human Rights,  Intellectual Property

Karen Yeates and Taim Saeed
In an era when AI holds a seemingly endless horizon of potential to revitalize underserved healthcare systems, is the race to develop it leading us to deprioritize the security of those systems and the rights of the patients within them?

Facebook’s Role in Rohingya Atrocities Underlines Big Tech’s Accountability Gap

Human Rights,  Law,  Platform Governance

Pat de Brún
Investigations have found that Meta, through its Facebook platform, played a role in the ethnic cleansing and persecution of the Rohingya in Myanmar. But with access to justice for survivors of tech harms apparently blocked in the United States, what paths toward justice, accountability and remedy remain?

The Right to Repair in Canada: Advantages and Pitfalls

Human Rights,  Intellectual Property,  Law,  Technology

Natasha Tusikov
Despite Canada’s recent progress on right to repair laws, this case study argues that the questions of who has the right to repair and under what conditions remain core concerns for anyone who purchases and uses software-enabled devices.

Consent, Pay or Settle: Meta’s Struggle for Staying Profitable in the European Union

Data Governance,  Public Policy

Lex Zard
Meta’s shift from the dual option of the “consent-or-pay” model to the triple option of personalized ads, subscription with no ads, and less personalized ads, highlights the challenges of balancing consumer privacy and profitability in digital markets.

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