A BIG TECH-CENTRIC MODEL OR A HUMAN-CENTRIC ONE?
In February 2020, the European Commission published its data strategy, with one of its key ambitions being the creation of an infrastructure enabling the free flow of personal data under individuals’ control. This paper is an invitation to collaboratively explore the creation of common technical standards for such an infrastructure, so that it can benefit all stakeholders across the economy.
CURRENT SITUATION
Big Tech companies were among the first to invest in and explore the potential of data portability through broad personal-data access networks. In June 2018, Google, Facebook, Microsoft, Apple and Twitter launched the Data Transfer Project (DTP) to define their own technological standard for cross-platform data portability. In doing so, Big Tech is seeking to shape how personal data will circulate between all types of services, whether operated by Big Tech companies or not.
CHALLENGE
Big Tech is imposing its own technological interpretation of the GDPR: this model is not user-centric, and platforms themselves define the rules for data sharing. For example, citizens and users do not have access to an independent consent-management dashboard separate from the services processing their data; instead, control over data flows is managed directly through platforms such as Google or Facebook.
PROPOSAL
To preserve the humanist nature of this new infrastructure, we propose introducing a well-established governance principle: the separation of powers.
Every individual should be able to represent their choices and interests independently when it comes to the use of their data. Individuals should therefore not be dependent on any particular service, as this would amount to encouraging a platform-centric data economy.
We aim to harmonise, support and legitimise the development of common standards — legal, technical, economic and design standards — for this new infrastructure enabling the free flow of personal data under individual control.
To define these standards as closely as possible to real-world use cases, we are currently developing data-sharing projects across several sectors, including mobility and employment.
The challenge is not primarily technical, but political: the first issue to address is governance.