Mydex

The World Economic Forum (WEF) has published its latest iteration on personal data; a report by BCG called Rethinking Personal Data: Strengthening Trust.

WEF activity in this area helps the whole agenda. Even if you don’t understand what WEF does or to whom it sees itself as accountable, its work is not easily dismissed. The BGC report’s problem analysis represents progress on last year’s report by Bain. It focusses on the deficit of trust, sets out why digital data differs from other assets, acknowledges the risk downside of proliferating big data and analyses the draft new EU data protection rules.

Significantly, it acknowledges the powerful driver of “volunteered personal information” originally set out by our colleague Alan Mitchell and others at Ctrl-Shift. We at Mydex see that as the economic mainspring for the new personal data ecosystem.

Of course we welcome WEF report. It defines accurately and precisely the problems we at Mydex and others seek to solve. It was a pleasure to be involved and we thank WEF for the acknowledgement. But there’s a wider perspective to be had, and more specific work to do.

Perhaps it’s hard for WEF to shake off the large-corporate telecoms sector genesis of this line of work. The personal data issue isn’t just about sharing wealth equally among all stakeholders. It’s about human dignity. Doc Searls’ new book The Intention Economy is an altogether more human, credible and therefore powerful exposition of the problem. Perhaps it should have been acknowledged.

It’s one of those reports which poses questions and suggests further dialogue. The three priority areas are: protection & security, rights and responsibilities, and accountability & enforcement. But we at Mydex, and our emerging counterparts around the world, tackle precisely these central issues. We believe we offer substantive answers.

Mydex and firms like Personal, Qiy, Sing.ly know we need to solve these effectively and furthermore provide an effective dimension of collaboration – on standards and interoperability – to make this work. We’ll evolve fast. We’ll learn from each others’ achievements and mistakes.

At the heart, the WEF authors aren’t yet convinced Mydex and others like us can do what we set out to do. But we are. And we will do it, even if it takes a little luck and a little help from our friends.

The WEF argues it’s time for further dialogue. We think it’s time for getting on with it, so that’s what we’re doing. That said, well done Bill, Karl and the team. Like Personal, we’re happy to remain in dialogue as we do so: with WEF, with our counterparts and with all actors in this.

Mydex is pleased to announce that David Brewer and Diana Jeater are joining the Mydex team.

David Brewer comes to Mydex from the Royal Mail’s subsidiary iRed Partnership where he was CIO. He will focus on Mydex’ public sector business development. At iRed Partnership David led planning and development of the Royal Mail’s digital letter box and other services to help organisations with digital channel shift. He brings a deep understanding and passion for the practicalities and implications of personal control over personal data and ID assurance to Mydex.

“I am thrilled to be joining Mydex at a very important and exciting time, with the impending launch of the live service platform,” said David. “Mydex is about to transform from an organisation with thought leadership and great ideas to one which will take a leading position in providing UK citizens with a personal data store. In the process it will start to give us all back the control of our own data, which currently lies scattered across the systems and databases of our service providers.”

Diana Jeater joins Mydex as programme manager. She holds an Oxford history doctorate, and has lifelong commitment to community organisation and autonomy, and interest in how institutional structures affect trust and creativity in society. Her background embraces higher education, grassroots co-operatives and independent production companies.

“Mydex is doing something fundamental to a free society: looking carefully and creatively at how we use technology, to identify what empowers and what disempowers us, as creative individuals and as members of diverse and complex communities,” Diana said.

David Alexander, commercial director, said he welcomed the depth and breadth of experience that David Brewer and Diana Jeater will bring to Mydex.

Mydex is looking for an exceptional individual to help take its proposition to some of the UK’s most inspiring organisations over coming months. This person will be a highly organised, practical, excellent communicator who can understand Mydex and its implications and work closely with a Mydex co-founder and with the CEOs and senior execs Mydex needs to engage with.

Mydex CIC is an equal opportunities employer; hours and pay are flexible and negotiable.

For more details, deadlines etc email talent@mydex.org.

Please feel free to pass this on as you think fit. Thank you.

The British government today announced that dozens of major UK businesses will start to give structured customer records back to individuals. Earlier this week it announced more details of its ID assurance plans, based on third-party verification services for identity and other claims made in online transactions.

These policies put in place two essential conditions for restoring control over personal data to the individual: the ability to acquire and deploy proof of claims online, and the ability to acquire personal data and records. Mydex is listed in the announcement as one of the major companies supporting midata alongside established names including Google, Lloyds Bank, Visa and Mastercard. Mydex’ role is to provide the missing link: a secure place for the individual to control and from which they can share their data, so individuals gain convenience, utility and the ability to realise the value of their personal data.

The BIS data giveback policy – midata – announcement is here, with mention of Mydex,. See also eg BBC news piece here.

Mydex CIC is taking part in the inaugural GovCamp Scotland, in Edinburgh on November 7th 2011.

Mydex’ contribution to “Scotland’s digital future” is enabling and empowering individuals to connect with public services, commercial organisations large and small and third sector organisations. It does this with a personal data service as part of a wider digital personal data ecosystem which allows the Mydex-enabled individual to be a full and trusted participant in online life.

This ensures transparent and inclusive engagement whilst delivering faster and easier collaboration. It also means a lower cost of service delivery and improved efficiency for all.

David Alexander, Mydex Commercial Director, shares a platform in the morning to debate Scotland’s Digital Future with
John Swinney MSP, Cabinet Secretary for Finance, Employment and Sustainable Growth, Scottish Government
Joel Cherkis, world-wide general manager for government, Microsoft
Zach Tumin, Kennedy School of Government
Charlie Jeffery, head of the School of Social and Political at Edinburgh University.

GovCamp Scotland is based on an established international model that applies a Government context to evolving Web 2.0 technologies and examines innovative ways to improve service delivery and engagement with citizens.

It rests on three central pillars – Transparency, Collaboration and Participation – and advances the case for academia and the private , public and third sectors to align behind the shared outcome of creating a Scotland that is well positioned to take advantage of the opportunities presented by the digital age.

GovCamp Scotland will bring these sectors together and is a first step in forging meaningful relationships across all areas of civil society with the common goal of promoting and enhancing Scotland’s digital credentials.

Edinburgh-based Alex Stobart leads Mydex’ engagement with public service in Scotland, and has done all the extensive preparation for this event: “We look forward to meeting thought leaders from across Scotland, and to having Mydex sign a memorandum of understanding with the Scottish Government on Digital Participation,” he said.

17 Oct 2011 – Today Mydex CIC announces that it has been agreed between Mydex and Iain Henderson that Iain will no longer be a Board director or play any external facing role representing Mydex. Iain was instrumental in establishing Mydex (both the concept and the company) and in demonstrating its viability via the Mydex Community Prototype earlier this year. Before helping found Mydex, Iain helped found The Customers Voice Ltd (TCV). Recently Mydex CIC signed a comprehensive partnership agreement with TCV, which plans a range of services for individuals using Mydex as its platform. Read the rest of this entry »

In new research report that mentions Mydex among other startups in the emerging personal data services sector, Forrester Research’s Fatemeh Khatibloo says “it’s impossible to ignore how attractive these firms become for acquisition”. Our counterparts at personal.com have blogged about the new report which can be downloaded here.

It’s a great piece of research which sets out clearly the potential for the sector. Forrester have been kind enough to share a copy with Mydex but we do not have rights to share it further. We should just correct one point: Mydex is a Community Interest Company (therefore asset-locked, but able to make profits and pay dividends) and not NFP as described in the report. This means Mydex CIC is clearly and deliberately not a target for acquisition, though it is able to sell shares, make profits and offer significant long-term returns to investors (usual disclaimers apply).

The scale of the design challenge in creating a new personal data ecosystem started to emerge at a first Mydex-Design Council workshop in London earlier this month. Designers, officials, and experts from business and NGOs met at the UK Design Council in central London and rolled up their sleeves to map out the nature and scale of the design challenges involved.

It’s a vast challenge, on the scale of providing the largest national infrastructure. It has to offer both immediate and sustained appeal for all parties: individuals, organisations with customers, new emerging services, and the attribute verifiers who bring trust into the equation.

Tom Holmes and Jonathan Sowler (foreground), Mat Hunter and Georgina Nelson (background) help map out the design challenge

But the rewards in getting this right, in healing the tortured processes of present-day logistics of personal data online are immense: cost savings, new business, and saving immense amounts of time and hassle for the individual.

The workshop was the first concrete step in a new collaboration between Mydex and the UK Design Council, which fosters the role of good design in British economic social and political life. As we together digest the copious outputs of this work what we can see emerging is a design challenge on a global scale.

• Do  you  know  how  your  customers  prefer  to  contact  your  organisation?
• How   easy   is   it   for   your   customers   to   switch   contact   channel   when contacting your organisation?
• Is  your  mobile  customer  service  strategy  working?
• Have   you   the   right   balance   of   costs,   user   experience   and   security   for   your customer authentication  process?

To   solve   these   questions   and   more,   a   ground-­‐breaking   research   programme   is   currently   being   undertaken   by   self-­‐service   automation   specialist,   VoxGen,   and   its   partner   Mydex,   as   part   of   an   initiative  funded  by  the  government-backed Technology Strategy  Board.

The   Enhanced   Authentication   research   programme   aims   to   improve   the   understanding   of   how   customers   want   to   communicate   with   organisations across   multiple   channels   and   particularly,   how   authentication  can  be  made more  effective  for consumers  and  organisations.  For  organisations  this   means identifying  more effective  customer  contact  strategies.

As   part   of   the   project,   VoxGen   and   Mydex   are   calling   for   organisations   to   take   part   in   this   landmark  project. Offering  them  the unique  chance  to  gain  a deeper  understanding  of  its  customer   service   experience and   to   trial   some   of   the   most   innovative   authentication   and   cross-­channel   technologies  and  strategies.

VoxGen   and   Mydex   are   looking   for   consumer-facing   organisations   that   typically   handle   five   million   or   more   customer   contacts   per   year,   have   customer   authentication   requirements,   and   currently   operate  a  cross-­channel customer service  strategy.

Those  taking  part  in  the  Enhanced  Authentication  programme  will  gain  a  detailed understanding  of   how   the   future   of   its   authentication   processes   and mobile services could look;   together with an outline of the financial and customer experience   benefits they could expect, all based on concrete tested interactions.

The   process  will start with a thorough assessment of the organisation’s current customer service experience.   A detailed report structured around its customer service technology, data and issues, will map out the requirements, areas for improvement and potential business benefits. Uniquely, once the possible solutions  are  identified, resources and facilities will be dedicated to designing and creating usability prototypes, so that the organisation in question can test improvements with real customers.

If  your  organisation  is  interested  in  taking  part  in  the  Enhanced  Authentication  programme  or   would   like   further   information   please   email   Pierce   Buckley   at VoxGen   on:   pbuckley@voxgen.com or David Alexander at Mydex on david.alexander@mydex.org

There’s masses of interesting stuff in this week’s Public Admin Select Cttee report on UK government IT, which got headlines for exposing overspend and lack of results.

But on closer inspection there’s also a lot about the possibilities of the new personal data ecosystem, including the significance of Mydex’ community prototype work with LB Brent. See the relevant paragraphs below in full: Read the rest of this entry »