Glenn Gore, CEO of Affinidi

Global networks, connectivity, and the freedom of data – these are things that I’ve always been very passionate about and resonated with, as I spent the early years of my career in the 90s being part of a team that built the world’s first Internet Service Providers.

As my career evolved, so did the Internet and our lives. My first decade was dedicated to building digital systems providing access to information, where we were merely consumers of data, and content production was extremely difficult. In the second decade of my career, I worked on technology that made it incredibly easy for us to produce and manage content. The amount of data we have created globally, and the many ways we use this data daily to learn, entertain and discover new experiences excite me. Yet, we are incredibly nascent in unlocking the real value of our digital selves.

This wave of the Internet led to the flourishing of data in the digital realm, which ushered in the third decade—the one we’re experiencing—in which we live in a world that necessitates liberation from anachronistic data management rules.

Ownership of Our Own Data is Non-Existent

Data, the lifeblood of our digital systems, comes in many forms - from personal and private data, protected data, and our public data. How we see and value our data differs across individuals. For instance, a person who has a penchant for privacy could view a set of information as personal data, but the exact details could also be perceived as data that is safe to share by another. Everyone should have complete autonomy to decide and manage what kinds of data should be kept private, protected, or public, and with whom we choose to share them.

Shockingly, ownership of our data is non-existent today. Our data points and activities, sprawled across the vast digital realm, are used by others, such as the marketing industry, to gather insights. They are categorised into various datasets, ranging from first-party to third-party data, without any oversight from ourselves, leading to inaccurate misrepresentations of our true selves.

We are inherently tied to platforms that we use frequently. Let’s take a trusted, favourite travel booking site, for instance. We use said trusted site as a go-to platform for booking travel in our account. But we don’t actually have true ownership over that data; the travel company does.

The lack of data portability means that information—such as past travel bookings, countries visited, payment information, frequency, and more—is tied to that platform. We can’t do anything with this data outside of that environment, causing a vendor lock-in, and fragmented datasets if we make future bookings on other platforms that aren’t integrated with said site. To be clear, this is by deliberate design; the value is in the aggregate information being collected at the cost of our personal freedom to use our data.

If we engage with a new travel site and start afresh on an entirely different platform, we’d have to re-input standard personal information, preferences, etc. More so, in the age of Artificial Intelligence (AI), the algorithms start from knowing nothing about us before they can personalise and bring value to how we experience a new site. That shouldn’t be the case; it’s inefficient, especially in the digital era we’re now in.

We should be able to fluidly move our data from platform to platform whenever we want and control how comprehensively we wish to be known by others and even to what degree of accuracy or authenticity.

Beyond data portability, we need greater transparency on using all data types-, whether first-party, second-party, or third-party data (data distributed without our rights). We need portability and the freedom to choose what, when and how much to share and for what in exchange. After all, our identity is at stake.

At present, our data is generated, curated, and stored within proprietary platforms such as Google and Apple. This data is non-portable and effectively locks us within such platforms, preventing us from transferring our data elsewhere, restricting our ability to derive greater value from it.

We must change what has become an industry norm by advocating for individuals' right to appoint their own custodial data managers. This revolutionary approach would be useful not only when individuals cannot make decisions themselves and when they want experts to access and provide greater insights into their data. This aligns with our belief that individuals should have the flexibility to move between platforms per their needs, avoiding dependence on a single provider.

We want to work towards a world where complete autonomy over our data becomes the norm, including the ability to explore new opportunities and appoint domain experts who can help us leverage our data for better value. Just as we seek out coaches, advisors, or field specialists to enrich the different aspects of our lives, by applying this same approach to our data, experts in the field can unlock its potential for our benefit.

The Value of Private Data Today

British mathematician Clive Humby once said, “Data is the new oil. Data is just like crude; it’s valuable but cannot be used if unrefined.” These words cannot ring any truer in today’s digitalised era. Indeed, data is the linchpin of our digital economy. From personalisation to prediction, private data has established itself as the latest commodity in the digital era.

With the rise of AI, we have already seen how public data sets have been used by others to train the AI models that we pay for. The next set of data is the protected data sitting within businesses that are now being unlocked, providing a single view of the customer, product, and other enhanced experiences. The richest set of data of all is the holistic view of oneself: truly understanding how our actions and behaviours can be used to our benefit without giving up our privacy or access to it.

As AI models are being trained on the same public data sets, we see rapid convergence of the capabilities and answers across multiple vendors. Like all other technologies, the ability to differentiate and maintain a competitive advantage becomes harder unless you can tap into new data sources that provide differentiation in the training set and, thus, the inferences being made.

Our individuality makes us unique and valuable; our distinct preferences, dislikes, goals, and more are what make us human. We are constantly evolving and changing our behaviour patterns; what I liked last week may not be what I like today. Our individuality is translated into our digital interactions and the data footprints we leave behind. Against the backdrop of AI and its future, our private data will be what sets companies apart. Companies that enable their customers to share more information about themselves willingly will have a competitive advantage over those that can’t.

Data and AI as Complementary

AI is the future, and it will augment the intelligence and creativity of humans. For AI to benefit humanity most, it must understand us, which will inevitably require access to our personal data.

Private data will differentiate one AI model from another. If we can train AI on private personal datasets, we could experience a future where each of us will possess our unique AI agent with its own identity—our bespoke AI agent working for us.

Imagine a personal concierge that understands you deeply, analyses your needs, offers tailored recommendations, and remembers your preferences. Because it’s trained on your private data, it provides an incredibly accurate digital reflection of you, offering a level of personalisation and insight that feels remarkably real. It becomes your own digital shadow, handling mundane tasks on your behalf.

Imagine a future where two intelligent AI-powered entities—one representing the consumer and the other the business system—engage. These interactions would closely resemble lifelike conversations, as the AI models are built on precise data from each entity, especially when consumers willingly provide zero-party data. For example, these agents can help set up my preferences, communication channels, language, consent requirements and other largely predictable and repetitive actions.

Every interaction between these AI agents generates new data. Because we can trust the accuracy of the foundational data, we can also be confident that the insights produced from these exchanges are reliable. This is a significant leap from conventional AI models that rely on broad public datasets, where the quality of insights is often compromised. In this future, AI's true power and effectiveness lie in the integrity and depth of the data it is built upon, leading to a richer, more valuable exchange of insights and a more meaningful connection between consumers and businesses.

A key difference here is the authenticity and attestation of data as it flows between others we interact with, our self-representations, and trusted data issuers. For the first time, we will be able to prove things about ourselves with high trust while still retaining the flexibility of how and when we want to represent ourselves.

To be human is to have creative freedom in how we express ourselves. When we can truly mix authenticity (proof of identity, driver’s licence, proof of age) with how we want to express ourselves (likes, dislikes, opinions), new innovations in interactivity and experiences can happen.

Artificial Intelligence is no match for Human expression. Being human does not require us to act as robots, where we must meet a single representation of who or what we are.

The Problem of Cybersecurity

Recognising that private data, coupled with AI, unlocks countless possibilities, the risks of cyber threats unfortunately increase along with it. AI-powered attacks are now considered the most severe and challenging emerging threat to handle. Cybercriminals are becoming extremely sophisticated, breaking historically secure solutions and damaging vulnerable organisations with severe financial and reputational harm across every sector.

This year alone, there have been many reports of massive data breaches compromising customer data. Government entities aren’t spared, either, with hackers infiltrating and compromising countries' national data centres and asking for ransom.

IBM’s X-Force Threat Intelligence Index 2024 supports this. Figures show a 71% spike in cyberattacks caused by exploiting identity in 2023, which also saw an increasing interest in obtaining users’ identities by attackers – with a 266% uptick in info-stealing malware, designed to steal sensitive information such as emails, social media, banking details, etc.

These problems stem from businesses that still rely on centralised databases to store and manage their data. While once considered secure, these systems have become prime targets for cybercriminals due to their single pathway to attack. Centralised databases are particularly vulnerable because, once breached, they can expose a vast amount of sensitive information in one fell swoop. This concentration of data is an attractive target that appeals to bad actors who will exploit weaknesses to gain unauthorised access to such valuable information.

What makes this even worse is that much of the data businesses hold is unused and/or has limited value. Businesses are spending large amounts of money and resources to try and protect this information that has little value to them, yet in the event of a data breach, it can incur a high cost in both loss of trust and reputation. An example is when an inactive customer is affected by a data breach.

As cybercriminals refine their techniques, the inherent risks associated with centralised databases become more evident. The reliance on a single, centralised repository for data means that any security breach can have catastrophic consequences, affecting the business and its customers, partners, and entire industries. In a world where the value of data is skyrocketing, and the sophistication of cyber threats through advanced AI technology is rapidly evolving, businesses must rethink their data storage strategies. Transitioning to more decentralised, distributed systems can mitigate these risks, providing a more resilient defence against the ever-growing tide of cyber threats.

Ultimately, as businesses navigate the complex cybersecurity landscape in the AI era, the shift from centralised to decentralised databases may become a critical step in safeguarding not just their operations but the privacy and security of all who rely on them.

The Problem of Unknown Uses of Our Data

More frighteningly, the consequences are dire when data falls into the wrong hands or is misused.

Think of the infamous Facebook-Cambridge Analytica scandal, where social circles and interests were manipulated to change political views by amplifying inaccurate, misleading information through fake news. This happened in the 2010s, but in today’s context of trained Generative AI (GenAI) and the emerging threat of deepfakes, the risk is even greater—where one’s digital persona can convincingly be duplicated and perpetuated to mislead the masses.

We now often see social engineering cyberattacks directed towards enterprises or businesses, in which bad actors use the identities of real individuals to deceive and manipulate their targets. This trend is only set to rise as technology progresses.

To date, Big Tech has yet to reveal the true spectrum of its usage of our data. If we take the same datasets to varying platforms with different algorithms, we get radically different content and narratives.

In an era when we create and consume so much information across platforms daily, platform owners can control the information shown to the public and potentially manipulate algorithms with duplicitous agendas.

The Call for Reclamation of Data Ownership

We feed so much of ourselves into Big Tech and their platforms, such as Google Search, Facebook, etc., but we don’t exactly know how our data is being used and for what purposes.

We should not allow these companies to continue owning our data and use it at will, unbeknownst to us. Such concerns boil down to the need for consent-driven data exchange, but today, individuals capitulate to having parts of their data shared without their permission or knowledge.

We typically entrust our private data with Big Tech, governments or other larger organisations with centralised platforms who seem to know what they are doing, mainly because we believe they will safeguard and protect our data to a certain extent. Yet, as we progress, it will only subject them to more significant risks, with centralised systems being seen as treasure troves in the eyes of cybercriminals.

This comes all the more timely as a recent report from Twilio found that 60% of Asia Pacific consumers demand consent and communication on data usage. Looking at major economies like the United States, PwC revealed a trust gap, with only 30% of its consumers trusting businesses with their data use.

We must demand greater privacy and autonomy over our data, not only to protect it but also to unlock its true value. As individuals recognise their data as a treasured asset and insist on autonomy over it, this will significantly shift market demands that align with changes in regulatory landscapes.

With complete autonomy over our data, we can determine our desired level of privacy, trust, and transparency at our discretion. This underscores the need for innovative, secure, and trusted identity management solutions that empower everyone to safely and confidently reclaim and manage our digital lives in an entirely new way.

What is Holistic Identity?

I envision an ideal world where billions of us have reclaimed our data, reclaimed our digital identities, and, ultimately, reclaimed our digital selves. We’ll gain new user experiences as we’ll have a holistic view of our digital selves, providing new ways for brands and individuals to exchange data and extract value from it.

This is encompassed in a concept we call Holistic Identity, where individuals can easily control and manage their private information. By consolidating their fragmented digital identities across the Internet into a private vault, they can dictate what information they choose to share and with whom while ensuring the integrity of their data is secured.

Through Holistic Identity solutions, individuals can reconstitute scattered datasets and enjoy a complete 360-degree view of their digital selves, where they can seamlessly discover, collect, share, store and even benefit from their data.

Picture this: You're hosting a dinner party, and as a thoughtful host, you’ve gathered your guests’ dietary restrictions. As you scan your ingredients at the supermarket’s digital checkout, a prompt reminds you that one of your guests can’t eat a particular item selected. You avoid a potential mishap immediately, ensuring your dinner party is catered to everyone’s taste. This seemingly simple interaction is a glimpse into a future where technology enhances our daily lives by anticipating our needs, creating a world where thoughtful, personalised experiences become the norm.

Now, picture another scenario between a brand and its consumer: A busy mother, juggling errands with her demanding children in tow, is racing against the clock. Her children need to be home soon to take their medication, so time is of the essence. She dashes into a children’s store and, with a quick scan, grants the brand temporary access to her data that she will revoke later. Instantly, the store’s self-help kiosk taps into her past purchases, her children’s medical conditions, and her monthly budget. Within seconds, it suggests the best products for her needs, shows her exactly where to find them in the store, or offers the option for home delivery. She’s out the door in under 3 minutes, having avoided the traditional 30-minute ordeal of in-store shopping, including the dreaded checkout line. This scenario is more than convenience; it’s a glimpse into a future where businesses and consumers connect seamlessly and transparently, making life’s demands a little lighter and much more efficient.

What we’re building can make this vision a reality, transforming everyday tasks into moments of seamless connection, trust and care.

Through the Holistic Identity concept, organisations and businesses can better understand their customers through accurate, up-to-date insights gathered from customers’ vaults – a personal data store. Companies can introduce streamlined customer onboarding processes onto their platforms and develop innovative strategies to enhance customer experience with more accurate and insightful data, all while ensuring compliance with global privacy regulations through consent-first data management principles.

This will drastically reduce the amount of customer data organisations hold—technically known as Personally Identifiable Information (PII). Their databases no longer store these valuable assets, greatly reducing the impact of cybersecurity breaches and data liabilities. If there isn’t anything to steal, hacking becomes meaningless.

At Affinidi, we want to create a world where people can choose what they want to do with their data. Concerns surrounding whether to share or not share, store on the cloud or the edge, and how private or accessible their data should be—responses to these questions should be dictated by individuals themselves.

We are returning the power of data to individuals and unlocking a new freedom with it.

New Ways of Doing Familiar Things

Revolutionising how we think about existing structures and incorporating the suite of Holistic Identity solutions can lead to new ways of doing familiar things. This includes everyday tasks such as conducting industry research, surveys, and data collection.

We’re working towards a future where individuals can self-record and report on data survey responses. This would enable businesses to collate consumer preferences more accurately through zero-party data, minimising inaccuracy or unreliability from fragmented data sets typically found in aggregated third-party data sources.

The dream of having an AI agent can also become a reality, which comes with utmost convenience through extreme personalisation. Walk into a supermarket and get recommended purchases that suit one’s diet and taste preferences. Alternatively, log onto a fashion e-commerce site and get offered plenty of outfit options to suit one’s desired styles, budgets, and sizes.

Trust is established as increased value is attained through personalisation, creating a net gain between consumers and their favourite brands. This encourages them to share more about themselves as brands reciprocate with greater value, personalisation, and improved experience. A business that earns the most customer trust equals more success, and a virtuous cycle continues.

Data portability will foster market competitiveness, as individuals can seamlessly migrate their personal data to choose a preferred service provider. They no longer need to be tied down to specific brands just because their data is inherently stored on those channels (e.g. not wanting to sign up to a brand-new social app because of the efforts required in rebuilding a new community, as opposed to one that currently exists on one’s own Instagram/TikTok). Consumers would be using these platforms solely based on the value-add their features and services bring.

In healthcare, individuals can experience data portability benefits by easily porting their health data abroad and sharing it with overseas medical professionals for accurate and reliable support. With Holistic Identity, those days of struggling to explain medical histories accurately while ill and potentially facing language barriers are over.

Our journey is one of transformation – reconstituting fragmented identities, enabling secure data exchanges, and fostering enriched experiences built on transparency and trust. Through end-to-end trust, we endeavour to empower individuals with the freedom to determine the fate of their data, granting them the ultimate autonomy over their digital footprints.

Challenges to Holistic Identity Adoption and the Way Forward

The last time the tech space had big disrupters was in the 1990s. It was an era of pivotal and unstoppable technology, during which big names like Java, Windows, and Microsoft emerged.

Windows was revolutionary; it supplied new communication standards such as USB and Internet Explorer. Microsoft knew not to fight the Internet but to fight within the Internet, which ultimately set them up for success.

It took the industry seven years from 2006 for cloud computing to become popular. The journey to transformation and globally impactful technology can be long, and it is imperative that we are comfortable with isolated and unpopular concepts of being disruptors.

Many may simply think that a reality where data is entirely privacy-first and consent-driven is impossible. We have become so used to free platforms and services designed to capture and trap us into ‘beautiful walled gardens’ of data that we can never ‘escape’. It’s like we’re all trapped in the ultimate ‘Hotel California’; you can never check out once you check-in.

People should ask themselves: Are we willing to leave these ‘walled gardens’ for a world where we own our identity and data for privacy, portability across platforms, and ultimately deeper trust with others and brands?

We are also faced with the challenge of whether there are ample devices for us to handle quantum computing and data management in this ‘new world’, which will run largely on AI and machine learning.

Many people mistakenly believe they have no control over how Big Tech platforms like Facebook, Google, and Apple collect and use our data. This misconception leads to a widespread misunderstanding of the reality of the situation.

But they don’t realise that we have the power to be changemakers. To these platforms, we, as individuals, are the product; their success hinges on the data we provide.

We need to change how we think about breaking the reliance on existing ‘walled gardens’ that we all operate within and be open to subscribing to entirely new concepts that are right for us. Big Tech needs our data for businesses to thrive, not the other way around.

It Takes All of Us

Ultimately, success is achieved when communities and individuals enjoy a data value chain wholly built on trust and transparency. Holistic Identity can help us achieve this, representing a paradigm shift in navigating the complexities of digital interactions.

Holistic Identity transcends mere technological innovation; it embodies a convergence of technology and human needs, offering individuals the freedom to dictate their privacy preferences, control data access, and determine its value.

It bridges the gap in identity management and catalyses new opportunities for collaboration and innovation. By fostering transparency, trust, and collaboration, Holistic Identity empowers individuals and organisations to thrive in the digital landscape, ushering in a mutually beneficial digital empowerment era.

Rallying stakeholders, such as governing bodies, to contribute towards Holistic Identity could play a considerable role by setting privacy regulations and guidelines. This would level the playing field across the board, resulting in the cost of privacy becoming equal for all.

Government-to-government collaborations have the potential to significantly improve and simplify data exchange, fostering stronger and more insightful international partnerships. One promising starting point is the use of passports. Although traditionally issued by local governments, passports could be recognised globally as proof of identity. By expanding their role beyond just enabling border crossings, passports could be leveraged for secure personal data sharing globally, unlocking significant opportunities for international cooperation.

The team at Affinidi is already en route to our ultimate goal of data reclamation. Still, the true materialisation of this vision requires whole-of-society efforts—ranging from organisations to governments to individuals—to adopt and feed into this ecosystem of ethical and consented data sharing. We can only build a digital ecosystem grounded in transparency, privacy, and consent by collectively working together to ensure data ownership empowerment if it is rightfully returned.

Whether through advocacy, partnership or becoming more informed, we encourage YOU to join the movement to #ReclaimYourData. Learn more about what and why we do here at https://www.affinidi.com.