The predominant system for managing data today pushes it far away from the people it represents. This is bad for the world because data is the primary way identity is represented (census, social profile, certification) and creates the grounds for exploitation (theft, ads, terrorism).
Many attempts have been made to move data back to the person (blockchain, solid, IPFS), to provide the means for them to control it (permissions, consent banners, e2e encryption), and to own it as property (Web3) but existing solutions fail. Agency over data doesn’t work because few people are interested in managing their own data. Data is difficult to share because semantics require broad agreement to be reused (when has agreement ever been easy?). Data needs to be accurate and verifiable but existing systems (blockchain, CRDT) are slow for practical use in day-to-day applications.
Read What If Data Is a Bad Idea?
See also:
- It’s difficult enough to agree on what money is
- A data dividend law normalize exploitative behavior
- Highly centralized data leads to a social cooling effect
- The Lindy Effect might better explain why our current approach to data hasn’t changed despite many rational reasons for changing it