Today, privacy and security of personal data are the subject of attention of an increasingly significant portion of users. In fact, we live with the growing awareness of being recorded and classified every time we search for anything we are interested in on a search engine, when we browse websites, on a social network, or when we use various free applications to entertain ourselves for even just ten minutes.
And here we are not talking about fanciful conspiracy theories, but about a clear market dynamic.
In fact, according to an estimate by the European Commission, The value of the data economy in the EU will reach around €830 billion in 2025. Within this large cluster taken into consideration, It is not known whether there is an exact estimate of the specific value of the personal data. However, it is known that these represent a significant portion of value, as many web giants, especially in the advertising and digital services sector, They rely on personal data to offer products, services and targeted advertising.
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Privacy and security are primarily a structural issue
Privacy and security are emphasized in mass communication and we see the first serious attempts at web regulation (see the Digital Services Act).
However, None of us have any way of seeing how our personal data has been used, what kind of data, how much value it has generated and for whom. And, likewise, there is nothing that tells us where they are collected, nor whether they are safe or hackable. For example, there is no widely distributed application that offers a service in this regard. This is because there is more focus on connectivity, entertainment and business: thousands of applications and tools that they attest to the existence of technologies and resources that would theoretically be suitable for monitoring and tracking the destinations, privacy and security of our personal data: so it could all be reduced to a “simple” structural question.
In fact, going to look for univocal reasons for this dynamic and opening a hunt for motives risks becoming a misleading battle against windmills: a fight without a solid resolution, which can lead people to perceive threats even where there are none and to distrust the same means that, paradoxically, they would continue to use every day. Thus developing dissatisfaction of an emotional and psychological nature... or flattening.
Decentralization aims to transform current structures
Decentralized web refers to a network where data and resources are not controlled by a single central entity, as is the case in the traditional web. In the current model, Most web traffic passes through servers and platforms owned by large companies, which act as intermediaries for data management. Decentralization, on the other hand, is based on technologies such as blockchain and peer-to-peer networks, where information is distributed across multiple nodes, eliminating the need for a central authority. This approach reduces dependence on third parties and gives users more control over their data, in line with the vision of the Web3.0, which aims to make the Internet more transparent and democratic.
So the decentralized web can really protect the privacy and security of personal data
- Users actually have direct control, full ownership and control over their personal data.. So they can decide for themselves how and with whom to share them. This clearly has a significant impact on privacy and security.
- Data is less vulnerable and subject to mass breaches, since they are distributed across multiple nodes and therefore there is no single central point that can be attacked. This reduces the risk of large-scale hacking or data theft, such as those that often affect centralized servers.
- So transparency increases, since decentralized technologies (such as blockchain), offer traceability and verifiability of transactions and data exchanges, making it more difficult for information to be misused without users' knowledge.
But there are still several problems, also here of a structural nature.
- This greater security implies greater responsibility., given the absence of a central authority… unfortunately most users do not have the necessary technical skills.
- So there is currently a thick technological barrier which precludes the safe and correct use of decentralized platforms.
- Furthermore, there is a lack of clear regulations., both due to the lack of centralized governance and the still too recent nature of these technologies. Suffice it to say that today not even the traditional web is fully regulated yet.
- Finally, it is very difficult or impossible to modify or delete some personal data., which happens in some decentralized systems… and almost paradoxically it happens precisely by virtue of the operating advantages they offer. Which makes them practically a double-edged sword, since this can become a long-term risk for privacy and security.
What can we do to protect the privacy and security of our personal data?
As users and economic agents of different nature, we always have a margin of choice established first of all by our awareness. Knowing the critical issues of the platforms and tools we use, without ever demonizing them, opens us to their best use and at the study of alternatives.
And this, starting today, also allows those with reasonable technological knowledge greater protection and choice regarding the effects of the dissemination and use of their data by third parties.
For example, Today you can passively undergo profiling by a social networks, allowing one to be subjected to dealer unwanted or content that rots our brains; when, Instead, it is possible to report contents that do not interest us, training algorithms to our advantage. Or, if you suffer privacy and security violations (even from large companies), it is always possible to involve other people in the same condition through class action. Actions that, if carried out massively when there is a well-founded reason for protest, can seriously change some directions at high levels. After all It's the consumers who make the market…which, since it exists, in order to stand on its own two feet, has been called upon to offer what people want under the conditions they want.
So to a large extent The privacy and security of our data depends on our knowledge, what we do with it and our skills. If along this path we discover that a better answer to the critical issues regarding personal data is the decentralized web, the desire for mass adoption could become the trigger to improve its usability currently prohibitive for so many people.
We will all wait and see, informing ourselves, studying and building projects in case we have ideas, interest and possibilities.
