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At the end of last month the 2nd MyData event took place. It was an ambitious 2-city location (Tallinn and Helsinki) complete with a boat trip and even a track choosing game to help delegates navigate the complexities (in case it wasn’t complicated enough!).

Here’s some of the highlights by COO Joanne Lacey, MEF’s speaker at the event which brings together a passionate community of developers, researchers, Government agencies and businesses looking to build a more human-centric approach to personal data.

12 months ago at the inaugural MyData event in Helsinki, it was fantastic to see the rich and varied research & trials underway and engage in lively discussions about how to best empower individuals to take control of their personal data.

However, I remember at the time making two reflections: What about REAL consumers not just the digital elite?  And is monetisation a dirty word?

I’m pleased to say 12 months on, MyData 2017 celebrated the advances made by the community and more broadly to build an ecosystem based on a trusted personal data value-exchange. Conversations had shifted from what ‘we should or could do’ to ‘what will drive and enable the market?’ ‘How do we make this happen?’ Dedicated sessions on use cases (see below) and GDPR proclaimed as ‘the nezw black’ demonstrated a practical focus, alongside progess on areas such as consent (see MEF’s recently launched guide to digital consent).

So what about consumers? Or rather individuals.

MEF shared the findings of our annual consumer trust report and participated a lively panel debate about the privacy paradox with Professor Christophe Benavent from the University of Paris-Nanterre as the session’s excellent agent provocateur – suggesting that perhaps ‘consumers are lazy and/or stupid…’ as we explored Why Do They Share? Why Do They Care?

Fabien Venries from MEF Member Orange shared insights into privacy for non-digital customers as we asked will the MyData paradigm raise opportunities and solutions for bringing the non-diginatives into the digital world?

The session also looked at tools to help individuals control their data. This included insights from the TYPES-project (Towards Transparency and Privacy in the Online Advertising Business) which plans to demonstrate solutions that protect individuals’ privacy while empowering them to control how their data is used.

And the final speaker of the track, CEO of citizen.me StJohn Deakins dared to address my second reflection from 2016; they actually make money helping consumers unlock the value of their personal data, and consumers apparently like it.

The MyData “Use Case Universe” mapping the data ecosystem

Use cases gaining traction

Indeed, it was great to see plenty of airtime dedicated to use cases that may drive this embryonic market.

  Perhaps the most significant advancement in the last 12 months is of the community itself which launched a declaration of the MyData Principles to advance a movement that embodies a human-centric approach to personal data.”

Maintaining the collaborative spirit the MyData a Use Case Universe mapped the ecosystem and grew throughout the conference. Meanwhile on stage it was clear siloed trials and hypothetical PPTs are maturing into genuine use cases across sectors as diverse as health, energy, insurance and banking as was showcased with start-up style pitches including:

But perhaps the most significant advancement in the last 12 months is of the community itself which launched a declaration of the MyData Principles to advance a movement that embodies a human-centric approach to personal data. Anyone can sign up and we encourage you to check it out.

It will be exciting to see what the next 12 months has in store for the personal data ecosystem. One thing’s for sure – everyone will be back in Helsinki in another 12 months to find out.

The MyData use cases along with the majority of the presentations are available to download here. Video recordings will be online from next month.

Joanne Lacey

COO, Mobile Ecosystem Forum

  

MEF