Profila MVP Testing — My Initial Feedback (by Regine Vonsild Oinask)
1. Getting Started
I received the invite to the MVP trials on the Profila platform, registered as an individual, and verified the account with my email. At this point, there is not much to note. We have all set up multiple accounts online, this was nothing special.
Now it’s time to follow the four chapters of instructions by Profila and get to it!
2. Personal Information
“My Profila”
I added some personal data to my Profila including name, birth date, gender and country. One of the advantages Profila offers is the option to control who gets access to which parts of my data. Once the data is there, it can be shared with brands or other individuals, but only when I give clear consent to it. It feels logical and secure to have all my information gathered in one place that I manage myself. This allows me to share my information for commercial purposes with companies I buy from, but also individuals like my friends and family who can request access to certain parts of my Profila. I was recently invited to a wedding for which the bride and groom to be had the tedious task of gathering home addresses for post card invitations and dietary preferences of all the wedding guests. Now, sending a simple standardized Profila request for the information to every guest would solve this.
After filling out my basic personal data, I started tailoring my Profila by taking the platform’s quizzes to indicate my personal preferences within various categories such as travelling, sports, fashion, food and more. Not only did the quizzes contribute to the tailoring of my Profila with personal preferences and interests, it also made me think about what I actually like within various categories of products and services. For instance, the quiz on travelling made me realize which aspects I prioritize when considering travel destinations and modes of transport. It seems I am an ecological and culturally curious traveler who likes spontaneity, innovative travel solutions and stylish travel gear. Once these responses are added to my Profila, I can easily give brands access to information regarding my preferences, sentiments and desires. Now I am curious to see how my favorite brands will use this to show me (more) personalized content.
“Categories”
When completing quizzes, I am rewarded by Profila in the form of ZEKE tokens. This is a cool incentive for doing something that benefits me in the first place. The more quizzes I complete and the more information I add to my Profila, the more ZEKE tokens I receive. I can use the tokens for discounts on products I buy, to unlock certain exclusive loyalty programs or to access early product releases by brands. Alternatively, I can offramp them to your ADA wallet or one of the DEXes such as MINSWAP in exchange for some ADA 😉
3. Connections & Subscriptions
“Connections”
I can use the platform to search for brands that I am interested in and connect with them. If a brand of my liking is not already on Profila, I can express my interest by voting for it — another action for which I am rewarded with tokens; go ZEKE! — to eventually become affiliated with the platform if other users vote for the same brand.
The MVP trials have four fictional brands to demonstrate the mechanisms of the platform. Say hi to Funky Fashionista, Pure Palaces, The Human Fund and Sporty-Helvetica! The fictional brands offer a brilliant chance to understand and explore how we will be interacting with real brands once the final version of the platform launches. There are two levels to engaging with brands: connections, where no data is shared with them and I am still an anonymous user to the brand; and subscriptions, where I am being paid for sharing my data with the brand in return for personalized brand content and exclusive brand offers.
I heard that soon, Profila will be welcoming its first real brands. Conversations are being finalized for a trial with a headset company and a CBD skincare and beauty product startup. Looking forward to connecting to them!
“Subscriptions”
Since Profila’s entire business model is based on the premise that the user controls his or her own data, no personal data is shared without clear consent from the user. A brand that I am connected with but which has not subscribed to my data can still share brand moments (i.e. brand content in the form of ads or other brand information) but these are general and not based on my personal data. My data is mine to provide to subscribers as I see fit and on my terms.
When I allow it, brands can access my data through subscriptions. Brands can create a subscription offer which states the specific data they are requesting access to and the monthly payment I will receive, should I choose to accept the offer. When I accept a brand’s subscription offer, I give the brand access to the specific personal data they requested and I get paid between 50% and 90% of the brands’ data budget (i.e. the money the brand pay for access to data) and ad budget on Profila (i.e. the advertising money that the brand pays Profila). Additionally, I get to choose whether to receive this payment in fiat or via ADA or ZEKE tokens.
“Take control via Data Subject Rights”
Profila highly prioritizes data privacy, ensuring that users have the ability to effortlessly exercise their data privacy rights. With the Profila platform, I have the opportunity to assert my right to erasure, commonly referred to as the right to be forgotten, as enshrined in the GDPR. This feature empowers me to manage my personal information with ease and confidence. With just a few clicks, I can exercise my right to be forgotten from any company, even if it is not affiliated Profila.
4. Monitoring the Home Feed
Once I had set up my comprehensive profile, I went to my home feed to monitor the offers and promotions brands were sending me. I also received tips and tricks from Profila which was especially useful during my first few visits while getting familiar with the features of the platform. On the home feed, I can interact with content by liking or disliking announcements to further calibrate the content I am presented with.
The MVP testing phase of the Profila platform marks an exciting step in the evolution of personalized digital experiences. The platform’s emphasis on the user’s control over her or her data, exemplified by features like the right to erasure, underscores Profila’s commitment to empowering individuals in their digital endeavors. The impressions I gathered from the testing of the platform made me even more excited to keep following the unprecedented journey of Profila as it continues to provide innovative solutions to controlling our digital identities.
I am a law student at Brussels School of Governance, currently doing an internship at Profila. I have been following the project since 2022 and was invited to participate in the MVP testing by the founders of the platform.
If you are interested to take part , you can already join our newsletter and whitelist here.
🔔 Follow Profila on:
👉 YouTube
💬 Feel free to ask us anything on:
👉 Discord
👉 Telegram
