Data-driven innovation through personal data vaults

Solid aims to restore choice
by separating data from apps.

• Typical platforms nowadays store data
  inseparably from an application.
  • Need the data? Can‘t choose the app.
  • Need the app? Can‘t choose the data source.
• By separating data from apps,
  we create independent choices.
  • Back to desktop mode:
    one file opens in multiple apps.

Every piece of data created by a person
or about them, is stored in a data pod.

Apps and services appear similarly,
but they blend data from many sources.

A person can grant apps and people access
to very specific parts of their data.

Separating app and storage competition
creates better offerings for all parties.

By abandoning data harvesting,
we restore permissionless innovation.

Solid is not a platform to replace others,
but a way of building for the Web.

• Solid is an ecosystem.
  • Standards enable interoperability.
• Solid is a movement.
  • We need to shift the app builder mindset.
• Solid is a community.
  • Building Solid requires different people,
    companies, and organisations.

Anyone can build or host
software for Solid.

• a server at home and/or
  at your workplace
• rent server space
• use one of the
  free community servers

The Solid server acts as a data pod
that stores and guards your data.

• a regular Web server
  • with support for access control
  • with support for Linked Data
• application-agnostic
  • build any application
  • application-specific logic resides in clients
• just like your website
  • your data can be opened with any app

Solid clients are browser or native apps
that read from or write to your data pod.

• you give apps permission
  • choose very precisely what they can access
• others give you permission
  • choose very precisely what you can access
• apps deliver a unified experience
  • browse your others’ data along with yours

Decentralized apps are more complex.
We need new technologies to cope.

My team at UGent–imec is looking to
collaborate on decentralized challenges.

• We envisage the problems ahead
  and research novel solutions.
• We want to work with your company
  to address your use cases.
  • bilateral
  • European projects
  • …
• Get in touch with me!