Imagine you apply for a Master’s degree at another university. Instead of having to complete a form with your personal information, the university request to use your validated data. This may seem far away in an increasingly digital world in which it is very difficult to protect and control your personal data. The answer may well be found in blockchain technologies which enable a different and radical way of thinking about data ownership and data use – this concept is called self-sovereign identity. (Ostergaard, S. 2019).
A small Dutch company, The Qiy Foundation, is very far ahead of this. Their new online standards give the end user the control over their own data back by putting the customer at the centre of the digital world (Woutersen, M. 2014). In brief, the idea of the Qiy Foundation is that the end user – and companies for that matter – become able to manage their own data, and therefor are in control over which data should be shared with whom, when, how much, and for how long. You allow others to access your data, but you do not actually give it away (van Galen, M. 2019). In theory, this should enable us to regain control over our own data. Supported by the Dutch government and multiple companies, the development of the Qiy Foundation is happening at a rapid pace, and it should not be long for them to enter the market.
The idea of the Qiy Foundation is groundbreaking, and seems appealing and intuitive. However, the reality is that we live in a world where large and powerful corporations handle our personal data, and therefor threaten our privacy. Nevertheless, the vision and mission of the Qiy Foundation raises an interesting and important question: Will our personal data still be controlled by the large and powerful corporations, or will we finally regain control over our own data in the near future?
Sources:
Woutersen, Marcel. “Qiy makes people part of the digital chain”. equensWorldline, 16 Oct. 2014, https://equensworldline.com/en/home/blog/2014/October-14/20141010-qiy-makes-people-part-of-the-digital-chain.html
Ostergard Fuglslang, Simon. “Can we take back control of our own data?”. Scenario Magazine, 2 Feb. 2019, http://www.scenariomagazine.com/can-we-take-back-control-of-our-own-data/
Van Galen, Marcel. “About the Qiy Foundation”. Qiy Foundation, 10 Sept. 2019, https://www.qiyfoundation.org/about-qiy/
Hello Michele,
Thank you for your insightful article. I do agree that the future of data (hopefully) will tend towards a ‘Self-Sovereign Identity’ with the application of decentralized technologies (e.g. blockchain).
I would like to even extent on the topic of ‘data privacy’ by introducing ‘Zero Knowledge Proof’ technology (ZKP). WIth ZKP you’re able to prove some information without actually revealing that piece of information (for more info see https://hackernoon.com/eli5-zero-knowledge-proof-78a276db9eff). For example, why would you need to show your full ID card, containing privacy related information, when buying liquor while the only required information is whether you’re >18 years.
The drawback of a Self-Sovereign identity is that it is essential to have all relevant institutions and companies on board; most data has no meaning without context / validation. How would you be able to prove your address if the Municipality is not involved in the Self-Sovereign identity? Following this reasoning, some companies or institutions (like Google) might be opposing against the development of a Self-Sovereign Identity as their business model depends on harvesting and processing your data. What is your view on this?
Best Regards, Wouter