MyDataCan™ is a new platform that allows apps and web services to store and retrieve personal information in a repository owned by the user of the app or web service. Using MyDataCan™ for the storage of personal information can free apps and web services from security and breach concerns and can improve user trust and confidence. Participation in MyDataCan™ also empowers users and improves the overall data sharing ecosystem.

Apps and web services may still hold and use some personal information independent from the person’s storage on MyDataCan, but sharing personal information with the user can help the user assemble more powerful and useful data and make data sharing more transparent.

Affiliation with MyDataCan™ does not impact the apps availability on the Apple App Store or Google Play or alter the way in which an app downloads from the Apple App Store or Google Play.

A person signs into their MyDataCan™ account, which can be done from within an app or web service that is affiliated with MyDataCan, or can be done from the MyDataCan website. Once the person’s MyDataCan is attached, apps or web services affiliated with MyDatacan can then store or retrieve information from and into the person’s storage on MyDataCaTM (the person’s “datacan”) when the person uses the app or web service. 

An affiliated app or web service is restricted to agreed upon data exchanges and can only store or retrieve the agreed upon information. The specifics of that information are determined when the app or web service is approved to be affiliated with MyDataCan™.

The copy of information stored in a person’s private datacan is owned by the person and the person can use, view or delete the information as they deem appropriate. The person cannot change the values of the data that a particular app stored in their storage but they can provide different or additional information to other apps.

You can learn more about MyDataCan™ at https://mydatacan.org.

MyDataCan™ instances are organized by school, city or other kinds of communities. Some communities are “closed” and have a special login process controlled by the community. A good example of this is the Harvard MyDataCan instance. Members of the Harvard community can sign into https://harvard.mydatacan.org using their Harvard issued HarvardKey credentials to set up and use their accounts. 

Other communities are “open” where a user signs up and provides their name and other information that associates them with the community. An example of this is a MyDataCan™ instance setup for a city or state. People are asked for an address in the city to make the association.

An app or web service affiliated with MyDataCan can be specific to a community or available across some or all communities. At present, apps and web services are available at no cost, but developers will be able to charge a fee for their products on MyDataCan™, if desired, shortly.

MyDataCan™ is working hard to set up new community instances quickly. Because of the pandemic, MyDataCan™ gives a priority to setting up instances in communities where people can best use their own data to help combat COVID. Examples include communities who have human contact tracers: if a MyDataCan™ user tests positive to COVID-19 in a community that has human contact tracers, then the MyDataCan™ user can elect to use the information in their private storage on MyDataCan™ to help recall locations to discuss with the human contact tracer. 

Some communities publish subscription opportunities on MyDataCan™ for community sharing of location information. In these communities, MyDataCan™ users can elect to subscribe to participate. If a MyDataCan™ subscriber tests positive to COVID, a human contact tracer can have just-in-time information on the last 14 days of location information on the positive tested person and on all proximate contacts, who also subscribed. The human contact tracer then interviews the positive-test subscriber and determines which other subscribers were in proximate contact sufficient to have been infected and notifies those subscribers. The human contact tracer vets the interactions to reduce false positives and unnecessary alarm. 

MyDataCan™ limits the kind of personal information that can be stored or retrieved on the platform. Because of the pandemic, MyDataCan gives a priority to the sharing of location, symptoms, and other personal information that can help a person combat COVID. An app or web service developer can request additional kinds of information be shared. 

The MyDataCan™ Developer’s API lists the kinds of data generally available for storage and retrieval on MyDataCan™. More data options exist but the Developer’s API includes the basics.

An app or web service must store at least one kind of information into a user’s personal storage on MyDataCan™ in order to participate. It must be pre-approved by the platform and the user to retrieve any information from a person’s personal storage on MyDataCan™.

Follow these steps to get started with making a MyDataCan™-compatible app:

1. Create an interesting, fun or useful app or web service. Or perhaps, you have one already working online or at the Apple App Store or Google Play.
2. Connect the data storage to MyDataCan™. See the The MyDataCan™ Developer’s API for detailed commands and sample data exchanges.
3. Apply to have your app or web service affiliated with MyDataCan™ and published on the MyDataCan™ platform. You may fill out an application here.
4. Once approved, integrate MyDataCan™ authentication and data storage into your particular app or web service. See MyDataCan™ documentation on GitHub for details.