Hu-manity.co Launches #My31 Consumer App, Empowering People to Claim Their Data as Property
Hu-manity.co, the company championing the 31st human right for individuals to own their data as property, has launched the #My31 mobile app for Android devices that allows individuals to claim, control, and manage their data. A similar app for Apple iOS devices is expected soon.
The #My31 app will give users a title for digital data; the title is stored on the Hu-manity.co global consent ledger, which is built on the IBM Blockchain Platform and secured on the IBM Cloud.
With the app, users choose how, where, and if companies can use their data. They can also designate how their data can be shared, with whom, and under which circumstances. For example, users can choose to share no information with third parties or provide consent for use of their medical data for cancer research only. Users can also choose to lease their data to companies or data aggregators, but only upon receiving fair market compensation.
"By creating a global consent ledger built on the IBM Blockchain Platform, people, corporations, and the monetization of human data can co-exist sustainably," said Richie Etwaru, founder and CEO of Hu-manity.co, in a statement. "People will enjoy greater levels of security, privacy, and control, while corporations will be able to lawfully benefit from access to higher-quality data that has the explicit consent and authorization of its rightful owner.
"This is one of those rare times in history where people can use an app to change the world without getting off the sofa," Etwaru added. "It is a giant step for every individual on the planet to own our data as our property and have a seat at the table for the first time."
The #My31 app will focus first on healthcare data initially but could include consumer spending habits, travel and geospatial data, driver and vehicle history, energy consumption information, the data held by Facebook and Google, and much more.
"Healthcare data sets are among the largest and most valuable," said John Kao, chief evangelist at Hu-manity.co, in a statement. "Given the personal nature of health data, it makes sense to employ technologies that engender the level of trust and transparency that Hu-manity.co is in business to provide. This will set the stage for expanding to other forms of human data in the future."
Upon launch, the app will be available in the United States and will be expanding to other countries from there.
The 30 Human Rights ratified by the United Nations do not explicitly address human data rights, so the app is dubbed #My31 as an allusion to the "31st human right," asserting that everyone has the legal right to ownership of their inherent human data as property.
An enterprise solution for businesses will be available starting in the healthcare industry in the first quarter of 2019.