Personal Data Stores (PDS): A Review

Abstract

Internet services have collected our personal data since their inception. In the beginning, the personal data collection was uncoordinated and was limited to a few selected data types such as names, ages, birthdays, etc. Due to the widespread use of social media, more and more personal data has been collected by different online services. We increasingly see that Internet of Things (IoT) devices are also being adopted by consumers, making it possible for companies to capture personal data (including very sensitive data) with much less effort and autonomously at a very low cost. Current systems architectures aim to collect, store, and process our personal data in the cloud with very limited control when it comes to giving back to citizens. However, Personal Data Stores (PDS) have been proposed as an alternative architecture where personal data will be stored within households, giving us complete control (self-sovereignty) over our data. This paper surveys the current literature on Personal Data Stores (PDS) that enable individuals to collect, control, store, and manage their data. In particular, we provide a comprehensive review of related concepts and the expected benefits of PDS platforms. Further, we compare and analyse existing PDS platforms in terms of their capabilities and core components. Subsequently, we summarise the major challenges and issues facing PDS platforms’ development and widespread adoption.

A Systematic Review on Privacy-Aware IoT Personal Data Stores

“…Year Systematic Domain Main Goal Ogonji et al [15] ✓ IoT Privacy and security threats, attack surface, vulnerabilities, and countermeasures in IoT. Sarwar et al [25] x IoT and Fog Privacy preservation in IoT and fog-enabled IoT Zainuddin et al [16] x IoT Applications Privacy threats in IoT applications Islam et al [17] ✓ IoT and Big Data Types of privacy attacks and solutions in the IoT and Big Data contexts Zarandi et al [20] x Smart Farming Big Data privacy in smart farming Hireche et al [21] x IoMT Privacy and security in IoMT Shahid et al [23] x IoHT Data breaches and legal regulations in IoHT Alabdulatif et al [24] x IoNT Overview of IoNT and its security and privacy issues Torre et al [18] ✓ IoT Devices Privacy-preservation techniques for IoT devices Tokas et al [26] x IoT Privacy-enhancing technologies and GDPR-specific privacy principles Demertzi et al [27] x IIoT Privacy requirements in the Industrial IoT Fallatah et al [28] x PDS PDS and its advantages and disadvantages Zubaydi et al [29] ✓ IoT and Blockchain Blockchain solutions for IoT security and privacy issues Asqah and Moulahi [30] x…”

“…Fallatah et al [28] surveyed the literature on PDS, offering a comprehensive review of related concepts and anticipated benefits. They thoroughly explored the advantages and disadvantages of PDS technology as an alternative solution for a user-centric model that can facilitate individuals' reclaiming control over their personal data.…”

Visualising Personal Data Flows: Insights from a Case Study of Booking.com

“…For instance, Verbrugge et al [13] examined the possibility for a "personal data vault society" and the steps necessary to realise this vision. Fallatah et al [4] reviewed existing work on personal data stores (PDS), which allow individuals to store, control, and manage their personal data. They argued that one of the technical barriers is the data flow management between different parties.…”

Citizen-Centric Personal Data Storage in The Public Sector: An Exploration of Opportunities, Challenges, and Preconditions

“…Moreover, tools able to combine citizen empowerment, on the one hand, with facilitating data flows, on the other hand, are rare. However, personal data stores (PDSs) arguably do embrace both citizen-centricity and increased data use (Fallatah, Barhamgi & Perera, 2023). PDSs can be defined as "storage devices and services that allow individuals to store their personal digital data for a wide range of purposes" (Mariani, Styven & Teulon, p. 2, 2021).…”

“…In this context, a particular type of technology, i.e. personal data stores (PDSs), is often mentioned as a facilitator for both offering citizens improved transparency and agency over their personal data, and unlocking the full value of personal data through optimized sharing and use (Fallatah, Barhamgi & Perera, 2023). However, empirical research into the feasibility of employing citizen-centric data storage in the public sphere is scarce.…”