[stdcli]

It is true that privacy and data ownership are two separate ideas that are often conflated. I think the user having more control over what happens to their data, empowers them to decide who has access to what, and where they choose to host their data.

For gaia hubs, we enable users to host their own data wherever they choose, revoke access to apps writing to their data, to delete data, or keep it and render it to another application whitelisted to interact with their data. A work in progress, but I feel confident Blockstack is on the forefront of pushing this idea of data ownership, while also enabling an authentication protocol that associates an immutable identity with gaia hubs, to enable data privacy as well.

The immutable identity being anonymous is debatable depending on how the user chooses to identify themselves, but the authentication protocol enables app developers to choose whether to implement end to end encryption, as some cases might not be needed.

The reality is there is a catch22 associated with (someone elses comment) the "simple" solution which is to throw everything on a local hard drive. How do you share data with people care about, or companies you do business with dynamically with high and real time performance this way? We are trying to answer those questions at Blockstack with gaia hubs: https://docs.blockstack.org/storage/overview.html But I would honestly love to see other ideas similar and learn more about the eco system of people approach data ownership, where data ownership enables users to decide what they want to be private, or not.

[Liquix]

I think the root issue goes back to your second sentence: the average user doesn't want to be empowered when it comes to data harvesting. In fact, the average user would probably be firmly set against it. They have nothing to hide, no complaints about the current system, and see no value in having control over their data. Perhaps even negative value in taking time out of their busy schedule to manage it.

The trick to turning the tide in the data privacy battle won't be finding the right argument or implementing the right policy - it'll be finding a way to communicate the magnitude and potential impact of this problem to the masses before it's too late.

[stdcli]

"the average user doesn't want to be empowered when it comes to data harvesting"

I think this is an extremely presumptuous statement that writes off how little empowerement the average user has by conflating the ignorance about data privacy and ownership, and the lack of user friendly options they have around understanding their data and how it can be owned/migrated and who has access to what, with carelessness or otherwise now in tech known as "consent" or "accept and agree with the fineprint or don't use this platform required for work, modern day life, etc" or "allow this app that is in no way shape or form related to pictures, social networks or social communication access to your pictures, phonecalls, all stored data on your phone and access to your contact otherwise don't download"

I think the news shows it's pretty clear most people are not happy about how companies like facebook and others are using it, now that they know. They have not known for a while, and furthermore what alternatives do they have?

This idea is very similar to telling a person because they never knew this was being done to them, and that because also in addition they have no other options currently if they do know about it, that this equates to consent or carelessness/lack of wanting to be empowered. This is just false, and furthermore, a dangerous trajectory of thought to apply to any situation.

[ibeckermayer]

Are you guys hiring junior devs? This looks like one of the few sane applications of blockchain technology that actually would make the world a better place...

[chalst]

For an interesting bit of rival vapourware: https://filecoin.io/

[chalst]

WRT to the relationship with IPFS, with IPFS you really need to find a decent number of other people to "pin" your content. Filecoin would solve the problem of how to ensure that people with whom you have no relationship actually do this.