The Innovation Hubs

It's been some months since we hosted the Toronto-made expose of the Internet, a short documentary named Black Code. The film is inspired by the book of the same name, and the work of its author, Ronald Deibert, the director of local think tank, Citizen Lab. At that time, we felt that Black Code was a helpful (and necessary) counterpoint to a lot of promises from Silicon Valley and the cult(ure) of technology in general: that social media would bring us together, that our technology was secure, and that we are ultimately in control of it.

Since that screening we've witnessed: the Equifax data breach, the acknowledgement of the Uber breach, the weaponization of search algorithms in reducing traffic to websites, and most recently, the apparen't death knell of Net Neutrality. It's been quite a season! Each of these incidents could be the subject of a blog post, essay, case study or university course dealing with how our information world has changed under our feet and without our knowledge or many times, our consent. Thus, Black Code continues to be important viewing, for it remains a critical "examination of the complex global impact that the internet has had on matters of free speech, privacy and activism."

To that end, we are happy to celebrate Computer Science Week and Hour of Code, by showing this excellent work and hosting other Hour of Code activities through the first week of December. Screenings are happening at Bloor/Gladstone, Lillian H. Smith, Barbara Frum, Don Mills, Fairview, Toronto Reference and S. Walter Stewart libraries. TPL is also hosting a variety of Hour of Code programs for children, youth, and adults of all ages, so be sure to spend some time – as the days get shorter and shorter – basking in the halcyon glow of your screens. At the same time, note the dark underbelly that Black Code reveals, and perhaps do a little something about that. 

Bring your friends, make a date of it!