Before we give away the recipe, here’s what’s making us thirsty. The Fatal Conceit Since the web’s inception, consumers have been conducting their digital lives on faulty architecture. Platform identities have been assigned to us by the host platform through the vehicle of username (usually our email) and password (of…

This is part 3 in a 3-part series explaining the protocols we are employing as we move toward decentralization. Our series set-up post is here. Each part in the series will address a particular protocol or solution that sits in between our apps-layer and the blockchain-layer (middle layer in the…

This is part 2 in a 3-part series explaining explaining the protocols we are employing as we move toward decentralization. Our series set-up post is here. Each part in the series will address a particular protocol or solution that sits in between our apps-layer and the blockchain-layer (middle layer in…

This is part 1 in a 3-part series explaining the protocols we are employing as we move toward decentralization. Our series set-up post is here. Each part in the series will address a particular protocol or solution that sits in between our apps-layer and the blockchain-layer (middle layer in the…

This is a set-up post for a 3 part blog series about the middle layers that sit in between our app and the blockchain, in our technical architecture. Decentralized Architecture In 2008, Bitcoin was conceptualized as the first decentralized digital currency. In the infamous white paper, Satoshi Nakamoto designed a peer-to-peer…

We’re thrilled to announce our partnership with Enigma to build the ability to Search over Encrypted Metadata. Since 2013, Datacoup has been working to help consumers control/own their data and monetize it for their own benefit. Enigma first popped up on our radar in late 2015, when a Fast Company…

Digital identities and personal data: A Tragedy of the Commons The well-documented plight of our digital identities and associated personal data — mapping to faulty internet infrastructure— can best be understood through the framework of The Tragedy of the Commons (TTOC). The theory states that individuals, acting rationally and in…

Personal data, privacy and pragmatism In his seminal books Privacy and freedom and Databanks in a free society, Alan Westin pioneered the notion of consumer data privacy in a commercial setting. Much of his research and publishing was done in the 1960’s and 1970’s. …

Data Findings 2 — Bonobos, Men’s Retailer In our 2nd data findings installment, we’re going to dive into some more purchase information and see what we can unearth. As a reminder, here is the sample composition Gender: All males Age: Mostly 25–35 Location: Mostly coastal US-based cities Average time range…