European Commission launches €5m DECODE blockchain project

Monopolisation of personal data by small number of giant firms is no longer sustainable, says Nesta director

The European Commission has launched a new €5m project to explore the possibilities of using blockchain technology to control how data is stored and shared.

It forms part of Horizon 2020, an €80bn EU research and innovation programme which began back in 2014. The seven-year programme is designed to ensure that Europe can continue to compete on a global scale.

The blockchain project is called ‘DEcentralised Citizen Owned Data Ecosystem' or DECODE, and the objective is to give individuals greater control of their data and whether they want to keep it private or share it publicly.

The premise of the project, according to UK-based ‘global innovation foundation' and charity Nesta, is that the main channels through which people use the internet have been "monopolised by a handful of big businesses that do not always serve individuals and communities fairly".

In turn, Nesta said that data which could benefit society is locked away in silos and individuals have limited control over it.

There will be four public pilots for the project - two in Barcelona and two in Amsterdam - to test the new tools with the aim of demonstrating the wider social value that can come as a result of people sharing their data differently.

The project will be delivered by a consortium which includes the Institut Municipal d'Informatica de Barcelona, Eurecat and the University of Catalonia from Spain, Amsterdam City Council, Dyne and the Waag Society in the Netherlands, Politecnico di Torino/Nexa from Italy, CNRS from France, Arduino from Sweden, Nesta, Thingful, ThoughtWorks and UCL from the UK.

"The ongoing litany of data breaches, government surveillance controversies and the monopolisation of personal data by a small number of giant firms is no longer sustainable," said Eddie Copland, director of government innovation at Nesta.

"The potential [to protect and share data in a new way] is huge; not only can individuals feel greater trust in the services and devices they use, they will also be able to share their data to support the growth of new social ventures, improve the functioning of cities and participate more in open, online democratic processes," he said.

NESTA said that any research findings and source code that emerges of the DECODE tools, once developed, will be open and freely available.

Earlier this month, the University of Surrey won funding for three blockchain research initiatives, including a test to see if the technology could be used to store and analyse biometric data.