Barry Appleton: Canada has become a nation of digital sharecroppers

TECHNOLOGY HAS NOT ONLY PERMEATED OUR LIVES, BUT OUR GOVERNMENT, AS WELL. FOREIGN TECH COMPANIES CONTROL THE SYSTEMS THAT ALLOW GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEES TO COMMUNICATE AND STORE THE PERSONAL DATA OF CANADIANS. NOW, AN INCREASING NUMBER OF DECISIONS ARE BEING PLACED IN THE HANDS OF OPAQUE AI MODELS. IN A NEW SERIES, INTERNATIONAL TRADE LAWYER BARRY APPLETON EXPLORES HOW OTTAWA’S LACK OF CONTROL OVER ITS IT INFRASTRUCTURE IS ERODING CANADA’S DIGITAL SOVEREIGNTY._

In May, Robinhood Markets, Inc. announced its acquisition of Toronto-based WonderFi for $250 million. Media reports buzzed with terms such as “synergies” and “user growth.” Analysts celebrated the efficiencies such an acquisition would bring.

But beneath the numbers, something bigger happened: Canada ceded its largest homegrown digita