SolidLab Flanders
Investigating Solid as a new standard for secure data exchange
Project Description
To reinforce the trust of its citizens and help companies compete against internet giants, Flanders is leading the race to set a new standard in data protection. A EUR 7 million government investment is providing a major boost for the practical implementation of a technology called Solid. This technology enables a decentralized way of storing personal data in Solid pods. Solid pods are best seen as a private vault which stores your personal data. By so, you can keep control over your own data and decide what you share, and with whom
In SolidLab Vlaanderen we investigate the challenges and opportunities of Solid technology. Are citizens ready to embrace Solid pods? Is this technology suited to help companies regain a competitive advantage over internet giants? What potential revenue models might exist? Flanders will be the first region in the world to widely implement Solid. At the end of 2022, the Flemish government adopted a decree to set up a data utility company. This data utility company will help guard the secure exchange of users’ data between government organizations and businesses. In a wide variety of sectors, this can benefit all stakeholders involved and build trust between users and companies. Potential applications will all be based on Solid.
The role of SMIT
Within SolidLab Flanders, the research of SMIT will focus on three main domains:
- Investigate & monitor the Solid readiness of both citizens and industry;
- Define the proper data-governance for such technology;
- Research the requirements in terms of trustworthiness.
