Helsinki, Finland. At the end of August 2018, some 1 000 people from around the world will gather in Helsinki for the flagship event of the MyData movement, whose aim is to harness the power of personal data in ways that benefit individuals, fuel innovative business, and help create a more just society.

“The MyData movement is dedicated to placing the human at the heart of all this data talk. We believe that only ethically sound approaches to personal data can thrive. This is why we are gathering again collectively not only to imagine but also to implement a better personal data future and a fair digital society for all,” explains Antti Poikola, head of programme, researcher, and MyData evangelist.

MyData 2018 conference and its numerous side events tackle burning issues such as citizen trust of online services, privacy concerns, opaque terms-of-service agreements, and reliable digital identities which can also enable data-based services to reach their full potential and create fair, thriving business modes.

Empowering citizens creates business opportunities and a fairer digital society

MyData is an initiative to help individuals manage and reuse their personal data, currently controlled nearly exclusively by businesses and government agencies. MyData is both an alternative vision and set of guiding technical principles for how we, as individuals, can have more control over the data trails we leave behind us in our everyday digital lives. The core idea is that we, you and I, should have an easy way to see where data about us goes, to specify who can use it and for what purposes, and finally to be able to change our preferences at any point.

The 2018 conference comes at a crucial time for Europe, where the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) will have taken effect earlier in the spring. This groundbreaking legislation aims to guarantee certain rights to all individuals regarding data collected about them. An important theme for the conference is looking at how different stakeholders in the personal data ecosystem have implemented becoming compliant with this legislation.

The conference will also be a forum for a global discussion on how Europe can realise the projected trillion-euro value that personal data services could create by 2020 over the transition of the region into a Digital Single Market.

MyData 2018 Call for Proposals published

The community-curated tracks at the conference open a Call for Proposals on 7 February. Interested individuals, groups, organisations, and businesses across the globe are invited to submit proposals for content at the conference. The conference passes go on sale on Wednesday 7 February at Early Bird prices. Press accreditation can also be requested on the same date.

The conference is organised by Open Knowledge (Finland chapter), Aalto University (Finland), and Fing (France). Partners of the MyData 2018 conference include IEEE, Business Finland, The Finnish Innovation Fund Sitra, Suomi.fi services and the Finnish Population Registry Centre, The Finnish Transport Safety Agency Trafi, Digi.me, Cozy, ContextSpace, Tilaajavastuu, Technology Industries of Finland and many more.

Further information
Viivi Lähteenoja
MyData 2018 Project manager
Open Knowledge Finland
viivi@mydata.org
+358 50 375 8274.
www.mydata2018.org

Open Knowledge Finland promotes free access and reuse of knowledge and advocates for a transparent and inclusive society in Finland. It is the local chapter of The Open Knowledge Network, which already operates in over 30 countries. Open Knowledge Finland was registered as a Finnish non-profit association in 2012.

Aalto University is a multidisciplinary community where science and art meet technology and business.

Fing is a French independent nonprofit foresight research organization which discovers, creates and shares novel and practical ideas that anticipate digital transformations.