Your digital footprint: revealed
Budapest hackathon team creates RevealU to help people discover and delete their personal data online
Europe’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) could be “far more troubling for Facebook than the Senate’s show trial,” writes Wired UK editor Rowland Manthorpe. Indeed, as each new revelation about the tech giant unfolds, individuals and tech communities all over the world are now calling for better data protection laws like the now lauded GDPR.
But how do you know whether companies are actually complying with such data protection regulation? And what data do Google and Facebook actually have on you?
You could find out thanks to a group of friends from Budapest who participated in the Global Legal Hackathon. They built a tool to help users discover — and delete — their personal GDPR data. With RevealU, users can request their data and see whether or not a particular company is complying with the regulation.
According to technology policy researcher Michael Veale, “Facebook will find it very easy to comply [with GDPR] at a basic level. The question is that the law goes pretty deep, and it goes pretty deep into their business model.”
With RevealU, you can discover the answer to this question yourself, as the tool aims to put data protection back into the hands of the users instead of relying on companies.
“Most other startups concentrate on internal compliance to GDPR,” said hackathon team member and full-stack developer Gergely Bihary. “Revealu is the only solution aiming to revolutionize data access for individuals.
The Budapest team plans to launch RevealU soon, but first, they’re off to the Global Legal Hackathon finals in New York to showcase their data protection solution and compete against 13 other finalists. (You can join the teams in New York on April 21 for the Global Legal Hackathon finals; event info here.)
We spoke to Bihary about the team’s hackathon experience and how their tool will put people’s personal data back into their own hands.
Who are the creators of RevealU?
We are a team of young professionals from Budapest, Hungary. Our team has a wide variety of knowledge: from legal experience, design, business and of course, software development. Daniel, our team’s legal expert received an email from his university about the Global Legal Hackathon and pitched it to the rest of us. We are “hackathon veterans” and have participated in a few of these competitions already. GLH seemed like a great idea, so we decided to join the action!
Did you know each other before the hackathon?
We have actually all known each other since high school. We are good friends and have all gone different ways in our professional career. Luckily, this can be used to our advantage in the GLH.
With heightened concerns over data protection and the GDPR soon to take force, RevealU seems like a timely resource for people wanting to get better control of their data. But what specifically inspired your team to create ReavelU?
Actually, in 2018 our privacy is in a massive crisis. Just look at the news headlines these days. We believe that we can create a solution that gives control back to you, the user. GDPR is the tool that will help us reach this goal, but the problem is global.
After the tool “reveals” your data, does it store it? And how are you ensuring the tool itself complies with GDPR guidelines?
Security is a primary concern for us, which is why we are consulting with multiple experts in the field to find a good solution. We will only store user data for a short amount of time and then delete it completely from our servers. In this time, users will be able to see our visualizations and decide whether they want to push further with deletion or modification requests. Microsoft’s Cloud has already obtained the GDPR badge for security, which will help us protect user data even better.
Is it only available for users in the EU?
Europe took the first bold step in data protection with the introduction of GDPR. However, legislation will follow the old continent all around the world. Just look at the promise of an imminent data protection regulation in the United States. Revealu will be ready to swing into action across the Atlantic!
What sets you apart from other tools that help facilitate data protection compliance?
Most other startups concentrate on internal compliance to GDPR. Revealu is the only solution aiming to revolutionize data access for individuals.
Can you briefly explain what it will cost the user?
In order to broaden the general public’s access to justice, we are looking to create a free, basic model that’s accessible for everyone. The free model will let you send one data access request and see the visualization of the massive amount of personal data that companies hold about you. Our premium model will work as a subscription that removes all restrictions and allows you to regain full control over your digital life.
What was the biggest challenge in developing — and launching — the platform and how did you overcome it?
We are currently in the development phase of our solution. We are facing legal and technological challenges considering our huge potential market of more than 30 million users. Luckily, we have already found solutions to pressing issues with the help of Wolters Kluwer and KPMG, our main sponsors.
What will be the biggest challenge going forward?
Our main objective is to find an angel investor to help us launch our product. This is why we are working round-the-clock to create the most comprehensive and jaw-dropping presentation for the GLH Gala in a few days.
What has been the most exciting part of building this product as part of the hackathon?
GLH is special, because unlike other Hackathons, it requires a solid business model and not just a “good hack”. For us, the most exciting part is the journey: talking with mentors, finding sponsors, going to meetings and learning something new every day. This is the most valuable part of our GLH journey so far, and we are very excited to go to New York!
To watch the Global Legal Hackathon finalists compete in New York on April 21, attend the GLH Gala (event info here)! Get the latest updates on RevealU by following them on Twitter (@revealu_).
