A publish/subscribe model for personal data on the internet

With the recent increase in web application reliance on user-generated content, issues such as data duplication, data age and data ownership are becoming an increasing problem. It is now common to have multiple distinct web applications storing duplicate copies of a user’s personal information in distinct storage formats and locations. This paper proposes a change in paradigm that places the ownership of a user’s personal data back into their own hands by moving the storage of that data away from web applications and onto private storage nodes exposed by 3rd party providers. Web applications can then subscribe to various pieces of data under electronic contracts that govern the data’s usage.