For many of us, the internet has become a tool embedded in our lives, to the same extent as running water or electricity.

But over the past few years, many ethical questions have emerged about the uses of this tool. These include concerns about the online spread of fake or manipulated news, cybersecurity issues such as phishing attacks and data breaches, threats to net neutrality and access to internet infrastructure, and uncertainty about the future of open data and sharing research.

With these issues growing in relevance, what do government and academic leaders see as the priority for Canada’s internet? Should we police it more? Are we on the right track with the increasing use of Internet of Things technologies and machine learning? Have we gone too far — or not far enough — on the issue of privacy? Are Canadians more or less connected to each other?

At the 2022 Summit, attendees looked at the current state of the internet and discussed its benefits, where it falls short, what the future looks like, and can we fix the problems that exist?