Researchers at the University of Toronto are working to link popular public spaces in 16 cities using Internet videoconferencing.
The proposed project, called the Global Village Square, would place video cameras and large video screens in shopping malls, parks, and other locations, and allow passers-by to see their counterparts in other regions of the world. Kiosks with microphones and speakers would let people at the sites talk to others at kiosks in distant locations.