Grant: CIHR Café Scientifique Program - Institute of Population and Public Health

Smartphones have become an essential part of our daily lives, with 6.6 billion users globally at present and expected to rise to 7.5 billion by 2026. The location data from smartphones are collected in real-time by network providers to maintain connectivity. These data are compiled into large mobility datasets. Researchers worldwide have used these data sources in the last decade to detect patterns in the population that would help with infectious diseases such as Malaria, Cholera, Rubella, HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus) etc. The COVID-19 pandemic saw the use of these data sources by public health organizations across the globe, in the face of a virus that was spreading rapidly within the population. Use of this data has been linked to predict the virus' spread and the extent to which public health measures were followed by citizens. Public Health Agency of Canada recently admitted to using mobility data to track population movement during lockdown. While this is providing exciting new frontiers for future research projects using real-time big data sources, this has also brought up concerns for the ethical implications of using non-consensual data in research. Discussions regarding these concerns have been initiated between individuals in government and research communities. However, most of the general public are still unfamiliar with the existence and use of mobility data. As such, the purpose of this Café is to bring this conversation to the residents of Kingston, Ontario. This Café is an invitation and education session to inform the community on what "mobility data" means, and what the implications are for using such data for research, and for the community members to voice their perceptions and concerns with this data use.