A Tale of Two Cities: economic vs. digital democracy

In a world fueled by material wealth and capital production, there's no trouble finding any number of government agencies and research centres charged with preparing detailed and comprehensive statistics tracking everything from the wealthiest pets in the world to the average age of farm owners. And for a good reason. To prevent economic bottlenecks from developing around entrenched interest groups or legacy stakeholders, we require constant insight into and oversight over who owns what and how they manage it. The idea that a government by the people must promote an economy for the people is central to virtually all modern nations.

But when considering the state of the digital economy, we find a very different story. In a scene reminiscent of the Wild West, most data is farmed, owned, and handled by a relatively small number of corporate giants. How few? It's only possible to tell with little attention to the data lifecycle. Wave after wave of data leaks and privacy scandals consume headlines, but finding credible data ownership and trade statistics is still incredibly difficult. All this at a time when data, more than oil or factories, is poised to become the most valuable asset of the Information Age.

It gets worse. With most private companies owning most of the data, a profits-first approach has gradually been baked into each step of the collection, storage, transfer, and retirement process. Over 90% of companies fail to meet basic cybersecurity practices and will continue to do so if short-term cost savings remain the name of the game. Historically, corporate abuses of user data have resulted in relatively paltry fines, if any. And while the public outcry certainly grows louder, the breaches grow larger still.

To choose one example among many, an Australian telecoms firm recently leaked personal details tied to many of its customers (10 Million) because of a breach. The data leaked includes identity-related information such as passport details, driving license details and Medicare numbers for millions of Australians. The Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) questions whether the company reasonably attempted to protect their user data. What is the maximum penalty being proposed? Just over $2 million. What is the cost for the end user? We will never know.

While tighter regulations and increased oversight are certainly beneficial, the truth is that we've been trying to bail out a sinking ship with a thimble. More than laws and fines, we need to reconsider data ownership and control as an ecosystem and discover new structures that take information ownership out of the hands of influential 3rd party entities and give it back to the end users, the people. We need a new method built on a new digital infrastructure that promotes user rights over corporate desires.

A Few Proposed Principles

1. At no point during the data lifecycle should my PII (personally identifiable information) be accessible without my permission.

2. At no point during the data lifecycle should my personal information be stored in an unsafe place or transferred unsafely.

3. At no point during the data lifecycle should my personal information be outside my control.

In summary, I can provide access to, delete, and otherwise manage my data permissions during my data lifecycle.

Implementation

At SharePass, data privacy and security are at the heart of everything we do. SharePass enables personal users and businesses to store, communicate, and manage all their sensitive data in one place.

This is done by functioning as a safe box for sensitive data you'd like to send to a company or individual. Rather than sending or submitting the data directly (which would grant full control and access to the recipient), SharePass users provide a secure link that, when clicked, provides the recipient with temporary access. This access is qualified by security and privacy settings, fully customized for each user, and can be revoked anytime.

With SharePass, users retain complete ownership and control over their data even when using it personally and professionally.