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The Flemish data supply company was officially named Athumi. The project wants to use data safes to let citizens decide for themselves with whom they share their data.
The Flemish data supply company was officially named Athumi. The project wants to use data safes to let citizens decide for themselves with whom they share their data. Does the project have a chance of success?
Flemish Prime Minister Jan Jambon held Athumi over the baptismal font last night. Earlier this year, the government announced plans to set up a data services company, which will now officially go by the name of Athumi. The aim of the project is to make data “more usable for more companies”, but above all to give citizens more control over what happens to their data.
There is a great demand for this from the public. Imec conducted a survey of 2,500 Flemings and found that citizens have little trust in tech companies when it comes to their data. 77 percent of Flemings think that Internet companies are primarily interested in their own profit and that they do not have the best of intentions with the data they collect. In particular, the lack of transparency about what companies do with the data is one of the biggest annoyances.
Athumi aims to address this issue by storing personal data in “data vaults” and giving the keys to the citizens themselves, rather than the companies requesting the data. The concept of a data vault was invented by none other than Tim Berners-Lee, the “Father of the World Wide Web”. With his Solid project, Berners-Lee tries to reorganize the Internet.
A data vault or pod is an online platform that stores your personal information. If a company wants to request data from your data vault, they can only do so if you have given them explicit permission to do so. This puts all your data in one central location instead of being spread across different internet databases. In addition, you remain the owner of the data in a vault and can also withdraw your consent.
We spoke about this in December with Ruben Verborgh, professor of decentralized web technology at imec and UGent., who outlined the problem that Solid and Athumi want to solve. “Today, data is very far removed from people. Bringing data closer to people and making it usable for us and our economy is fundamental. Data we generate is now paying off for big international companies, actually everyone but ourselves.”
Although Solid’s ideas are several years old, the Athumi project is revolutionary. The Flemish government is the first government in the world to make data safes available to citizens. Since the government cannot do this alone, it has some partners from the private sector. Among other things, Microsoft supports the project, and itsme is also named as a partner.
The data safes are therefore accessed via itsme. In the identification app you have an overview of all your data vaults. If a company wants to access one of your vaults, you will be asked to log into your itsme account and confirm this with your PIN code or fingerprint. In contrast to itsme, Athumi will remain largely in state hands for the time being, but must be able to function as an independent company.
The rollout of Athumi is still in its infancy, but theoretically data of different types could be contained in a data vault. This can range from login details to your diplomas. Over time, the Flemish government also wants to add medical data to the data vaults, from data generated by wearables to your medical records.
We’re already hearing Hanz Rimmer from Het Eiland popping the question. In the long term, the Flemish government wants every citizen to have a digital safe. Of course, it is up to the citizen to what extent they want to use digital data vaults, what data they want to store in them and with whom they share the data. Master of your own data is the motto of the project.
“Today, data is very far removed from people. Bringing data closer to people and making it useful for us and our economy is fundamental.”
Ruben Verborgh, Professor of Decentralized Web Technology at imec and UGent
Not everyone in the IT industry is convinced of Athumi’s chances of success. The fact that a large proportion of citizens have become more aware of digital privacy and the possible risks of sharing their data with everyone shows that there is a demand for a service like Athumi. But for the project to be successful, private companies must also participate in the project.
In addition to Microsoft and itsme, Randstad and Doccle have already given their blessing. Randstad, for example, wants Athumi to share candidates’ diplomas with potential employers in a privacy-friendly manner. Such a pilot project could speed up the rollout of Athumi. The problem is that big tech companies like Google and Meta benefit from the data we share with them. They will therefore be less anxious to hand the management of data back to the citizens.
In any case, Athumi will be an interesting project to test the Solid philosophy’s chances of success. Will citizens ever have full control over their data or is that just an unrealistic ideal?
Source: IT Daily
As an experienced journalist and author, Mary has been reporting on the latest news and trends for over 5 years. With a passion for uncovering the stories behind the headlines, Mary has earned a reputation as a trusted voice in the world of journalism. Her writing style is insightful, engaging and thought-provoking, as she takes a deep dive into the most pressing issues of our time.
