In the wake of data processing by multinational social media companies, more and more users are concerned by the way data is collected, gathered and processed. Many scandals regarding user data have emerged in the past years. Cambridge Analytica involvement in the US elections (The Guardian, 2018) and later in the Brexit campaign (Liberation, 2018) allowed for an awakening of the majority of users. There, data was collected to profile users in terms of their political engagement, and target those who were still indecisive regarding their voting decision (Isaak & Hanna, 2018). It has then launched marketing campaign against Trump’s opponent, Hillary Clinton, labeled “Crooked Hillary” to those indecisive profiles. As our data is being turned against us, the need to take ownership over our own data is urgent. The European Union has already established rules and policies on organizations about data usage from those big tech companies through the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) (Council of European Union, 2015) which was later reinforced in 2018.
Why Helios?
Helios is an EU-backed social network that aims at keeping the privacy of users, data protection while offering the same features as current social media do. Through Blockchain technology, Helios decentralizes its data storage points across multiple blocks and Decentralized Autonomous Organizations (DAOs) (Redrup, 2016). This allows for a reduction of the need of intermediaries and therefore more control over your own data. The platform will also integrate its own development hub which allows you to create your own app, connect with users, institutions or even sensors. App developers can therefore enjoy the plug-in and open sources provided by this platform to create their own app (Helios, 2020).
Whether this social media will take-off and manage to compete with those giant tech companies is still a mystery that time will only tell us. Nonetheless, regardless of future potential success, Helios already brought the question of humanity in technology back to the center.
References:
Hern, A., 2018. Cambridge Analytica: How Did It Turn Clicks Into Votes?. the Guardian.
Delesalle-Stolper, S., 2018. «Sans Cambridge Analytica, Il N’y Aurait Pas Eu De Brexit». Libération.
European Commission – European Commission. 2020. Data Protection
Really interesting to read about Helios! I had never heard of the platform before however it sounds like a great initiative. Given the switching costs which users of social media giants have, I think the likelihood of Helios’ success is sadly low. What makes staple social media platforms different from Helios is their ability to leverage user data to create bubbles and further people’s addiction to the apps. I hope more initiatives like Helios challenge social media giants to review their codes of conduct!
Thank you for this very interesting article Simon! I believe Helios has a huge opportunity in becoming a disruptive social network. Awareness about the use of data and how social networks use their user’s data is growing, and more and more people are now understanding the adverse effects of it. People are more concerned about privacy and lots od documentaries such as The Social Dilemma are now appearing in order to make a change in society.