At home, we do everything we can to feel safe. Good locks, an alarm system, cameras and we store our valuables well. But online, personal data easily disappears into the hands of big tech companies. The Dutch Data Safe Foundation believes we should be in control of what happens to our data. The solution? A personal data safe. From Utrecht, Heart of Health, the foundation creates a healthy digital environment that benefits society.
At a time when data are accessible everywhere and at all times and AI is a permanent feature of society, privacy is becoming increasingly important. With a personal data safe, the foundation offers a safe place where people can store their online data. According to the initiators, new technology can drastically change the way personal data is managed and shared. Also on an international level.
Awareness
Ymke de Jong, Lead Healthcare & Wellbeing, explains: “On the streets we pay close attention in traffic, but on the Internet many people don’t know where their data traffic goes. If you don’t think carefully about that, in a few years your personal data will be everywhere and you’ll no longer have an overview of where exactly your data is. That’s why we want people to be more aware of what happens to their data. A lot of data is currently in the hands of tech giants such as Google, Meta and Amazon. This gives them a lot of control over personal data.”
Privacy
The data collected provides personalized advertisements, for example. “Now when you accept cookies or terms and conditions on the Internet, a company sees every step you take on your laptop, a website or in an app. Data Safe protects user privacy by giving you back overview and control over your personal data. You regain control. This increases privacy protection and user awareness. You can decide what information you share, when, with whom and for how long.” The technology can also lead to much better and more transparent personalization of services and advertisements. “Through a personal data vault, you can decide if and where you want personalized services.”
Healthier digital world
From Utrecht, Heart of Health, various parties jointly deploy technology and behavior to achieve positive behavioral change. For example, Stichting Nederlandse Datakluis is working towards a safer and healthier digital world, in which users have control over their own data. It is an initiative of five major Dutch media companies: DPG Media, Mediahuis, NPO, RTL Netherlands and Talpa Network. It is co-funded by the European Union. A special collaboration between competing companies developing a new data infrastructure together. “Stichting Nederlandse Datakluis is an independent party committed to putting the interests of individuals first: your data, your choice. We have no commercial interests in users’ data, unlike many tech companies. We also seek collaboration because this innovation can have a global impact. For example, we are working with Belgium. There, a test case is taking place where diplomas are stored in a personal environment.”
Collection site
Ymke emphasizes that collecting your personal data can also add value. A collection place of data around you as a person offers insight. “For example, in the field of health care and lifestyle. If you are sick, data collection only starts when you go into the hospital. But during your lifetime, you have the vast majority of nothing to do with health care, even though you are already collecting data about your health that can offer insight. You collect data with your smartwatch, your phone, your shopping and your online behavior. If this data goes from different sources to a private vault, you can analyze it when you need to. That innovation could enable a change in the current healthcare system and reduce the pressure on healthcare. We are still exploring these possibilities.”
Collaboration
The foundation’s location in the heart of the country contributes to its ambitions. In Utrecht, organizations, knowledge institutions and governments are committed to a healthy society in which digitization improves people’s lives. “It would be great if we could test with other parties the aspects and possible applications of the personal data vault,” he said.
Global example
The new data storage and management model can serve as an example for other countries and organizations striving for better privacy protection and user control. “We are using a new international standard, Solid. That is an initiative of the inventor of the World Wide Web, Tim Berners Lee. Solid allows you to integrate personal data vaults into Web sites and apps. It is an open standard. That means others can connect easily. The most important thing is to avoid a data monopoly. We need to make data personal again.”
