Living in modern times means living in the world of data and information, the Data Era!. Many startups and corporations already invest thousands to try to have some sort of control over the flow of information and be able to use it for their own purpose and monetize it in any way they can. That’s right because they know the importance it has and how valuable it is. In the Big Data era, data is constantly being collected and analyzed, leading to innovation and economic growth. Companies and organizations use the data they collect to personalize services, optimize the corporate decision-making process, predict future trends, and more. Data is a very valuable asset in our economy, and it’s time that we also start to care more about how we share our information with the world, and I’m not talking about normal data like cookies in our browser, but the kind of material that is exclusive from our authorship.

Privacy is a matter of importance

           “Privacy” seems like a silly word nowadays, as if we have forgotten there is actually such a thing. We have grown so concerned over the fact that we are constantly being watched and evaluated and we seem to care less about being able to keep some things for ourselves instead of putting everything in the hands of the monster of the network. Even recently incidents of surveillance and security breaches compromising users’ privacy have increased and this calls into question the current model, in which third-parties collect and control massive amounts of personal data because it’s not a matter that should be ignored.

Did you know that we are natural data producers? While we create and invent new things every day, answering questions, creating new content, teaching the AIs that transform our knowledge and experience into entertainment, statistics, or elaborated functions, we are allowing other corporations to make money. And yes, while they all reap the benefits of a data-driven society, there should be a growing public concern about user privacy and how individuals have little or no control at all over the data that is stored about them and how it is used. Public media has repeatedly covered controversial incidents related to privacy, most recently with the scandal of the new terms and services in the WhatsApp mobile app. Among the better-known examples is the story about government surveillance, and Facebook’s large-scale scientific experiments apparently conducted without explicitly informing participants.

Token creation to share exclusive material

           This and more lead us once more to understand the importance of innovative technologies and their applications in day to day life. Bitcoin has demonstrated in the financial space that trusted, auditable computing is possible using a decentralized network of peers accompanied by a public ledger. The power behind blockchain surely exceeds our expectations more so today than 5 or 10 years ago because we aren’t talking only about money/financial transactions, we are talking about giving people more access and control over their personal data and information.

Creating tokens is just one of the many possibilities and doors that have been open through blockchain and the use of cryptocurrencies. As a quick answer as well to the problem we stated before: “while we create, why are others making all the money?” Because when people create their own coin or custom cryptocurrency they are creating a reliable ecosystem to share the exclusive material they create.

Nor as other crowdfunding methods, not even as other blockchain-based crowdfunding platforms, creating tradable tokens to support a project is part of the solution to the complicated problem of data security. As people create tokens and develop their own campaigns, they can give preferred access to their exclusive clients and followers. This doesn’t sound bad, don’t you think?

Mary Schwartz