1. MyData as an Actor-
Network
OSKARI LAPPALAINEN
UNIVERSITY OF HELSINKI
2. About me
Bachelor of Social Sciences
I studied sociology, science & Technology studies, and information technology
I discovered the MyData concept through voluntary work
Actor Network Theory as a kind of a holistic worldview
Not directly linked to any research
Part of my doctoral work if I decide to do it
Interested in hearing feedback & ideas
3. Setting the context: personal data
economy
As the amount data produced by humans grows…
…so will the economic potential of personal data
World Economic Forum: potential to have a
great impact on the global economy
The Boston Consulting Group: will be worth 1000
billion euros in the EU by 2020
4. Problems with the personal data economy
A cluster of interlinked problems
Personal data economy is not very transparent
Business model: offer ”free” service in exchange for personal information
(Facebook & many other apps)
Personal information is sold behind the users’ back for profit
Obscure terms of service, people don’t know where their data goes to
Enables profiling which can be used for microtargeted advertising
Information stays in it’s own silos owned by organizations
”Surveilance capitalism” (Zuboff 2015)
6. What is MyData?
MyData can be seen both as an ideal of a technology and as a social movement
advancing this ideal
MyData aims to address the issues with personal data economy by putting the
individual in control of his or her own data
So instead of organizations having data on users the users have their own data
which they can lend or sell forward in exchange for services
Highly portable and combinable data would also allow for completely novel
services
8. MyData is in a process of translation
MyData is in a process of formation– in ANT lingo it is in process of translation
Idea born around 2012, Finland, France, Estonia hotbeds of activity
Callon: Translation is a process where an actor enrolls allies to tackle some kind of
a problem
In this case the problem is solving the issues with personal data economy through
an individual-centric model of personal data management
I will now present you with a Finland-centric overview of the actor-network that is
involved in MyData
10. MyData activism holds the network
together
Acts as a force that has enrolled the network and which draws together elements
from the private and public sector
MyData activists often have a dual role, work in IT industry or public sector
Some however are more purely 3rd sector operators
MyData activism has been more like network building than traditional activism –
lobbying and advocacy work however have also been needed
MyData Allianssi as a finnish alliance of private and public sector actors with an
interest in developing MyData
Open Knowledge Finland particularily active
12. MyData aims to change the obligatory
passage point of personal data economy
MyData aims to put the individual user into the center of the personal data economy
The alternative: corporation or state dominated model
The MyData Operator model
MyData Operators offer data accounts to customers, customers own the data and
lease/sell data through these operators
Has an anti-monopolistic element built in, the objective is a broad open network of
service provides instead of a global monopoly
Connection to open information technology ideals
Presently at pilot stage (at best), some startups in Europe, more public sector driven in
Finland
14. Some closing thoughts
A very new phenomenon – impossible to say to what extent it will succeed or
what impact it will have
This makes it a very fruitful target for ANT research!
Perhaps best seen as a part of a larger context of personal data economy and
open data advocacy
Can also be seen in the context of diverging information economies – the
corporation dominated US model, the totalitarian chinese model…MyData as the
european model?
Presents the question of whether other kinds of ”activist technologies” exist –
blockchain as a potential other example
15. Further reading
If you want to read a more in-depth analysis, you can check out my article at
sosiologi.fi (only in finnish)
mydata.fi, the MyData Allianssi page
Poikola, Antti, Kuikkaniemi, Kai, ja Honko, Harri. 2015. “MyData – A Nordic Model
for human-centered personal data management and processing.” Ministry of
Transport and Communications. http://urn.fi/URN:ISBN:978-952-243-455-5
