Towards a Universal Model for Personal Data Exchange

Digital services thrive on personal data. They need it to function. In some cases, they are even required to verify it, usually for compliance or risk management. However, beyond necessity, certain companies have built their business models around collecting, hoarding and monetising personal data, often without users fully understanding the trade-offs. The core issue is that we lack a robust framework for managing and exchanging personal data. Existing methods come with limitations, and while improvements are possible, we must prioritise good user experience (UX) to ensure widespread adoption.