Data Ownership in an Under Compensated World

Many companies claim that their users own their data, but what does this mean in practice? Is the company's revenue model aligned with users' expectations of privacy? Will a company profit from users' data without compensating their users? Will a company protect users' data against government surveillance?

Jaron Lanier wrote about an economic model for compensating a new digital middle class in "Who Owns the Future". As an app developer, I'll share strategies for realizing Lanier's micropayment compensation model. Users should be rewarded fiscally for contributions, but this requires a method of accounting that app developers must define and create. Users should be in control of their data, but this requires an application architecture that can accommodate distributed data storage.

This session will cover the economic theory, philosophy, and technical requirements necessary for app developers to create a sustainable digital middle class with strengthened online privacy.