E-commerce is broken.
It is broken, not in an obvious way, but in a very subtle, almost hidden way. The damage is not irreparable, but it is fundamental.
PrivateAgent is on a mission to fix it, and has a plan.
The internet has evolved over the last few decades in a largely unstructured way. Standard protocols have emerged for all sorts of things, but secure management of personal information has not been one of them. This is still mostly the preserve of privacy freaks and super nerds (like us), who are deep enough in to be able to work the angles on encryption technology. Data privacy was not built in.
As a consequence, the field has been wide open for businesses that convert the benefit of people's private information to their own bottom line. It can be argued that lifting data from people's browsing activities is a modern form of the common law tort of conversion. Conversion is the wrongful exercise of control over another person's property, which interferes with the owner's right to use and enjoy the property. There may be some argument as to whether browsing data is a form of property, et cetera, but the fact is that most people are unaware of the extent to which their browser data is captured and used, and are horrified when they find out.
We believe that this is a breach of the social contract. Nobody signed up for being surveilled over the internet in the way that they now are. There was never any real choice. The technology to keep private data private either didn’t exist, or was indecipherably difficult to use. Online privacy suffered a death by a thousand cuts, and most of these small but incremental decisions were made by people other than you. Then it was just a question of whether you joined in or became a kind of isolated pariah … the modern day equivalent of living under a rock. In retrospect, probably not a bad move.
Could it have been any different? Maybe. But we are all now faced with the ongoing reality of the situation.
Collectively, we bargained away our chips at the outset of the game, as if the emergence of the internet is a re-run of colonial history, and invaders have traded our land for beads and blankets. However, all is not lost.
Surveillance Capitalism has a chink in its armor.
People don’t like it.
If there was a better way to do buy stuff online, most peope would take it. If it was possible to get control again of their private infrormation, without giving up the benefits (and the necessities) of living in the online world, they would do that. If they could benefit from the use of their data, they’d be as loyal customers as you would find. If they could make a living from their data … well … friends for life.
This is what PrivateAgent does.
By combining the simple and secure data privacy functions of Vaulted Objects with the ability of Choice® to enable apps to respond to the needs of the user in real-time, we make data privacy a potent driver of economic activity and monetary velocity, by creating the foundations for Super Apps of the Future.
PrivateAgent's approach to e-commerce is based on creating a new paradigm, one where privacy is a fundamental right, and where users have control over their data.
By doing this, we can restore trust between consumers and businesses, and create a win-win situation where both parties can benefit. Our vision is to create a world where data privacy is a given, and where businesses that respect this will thrive.
Our solution is not just a theoretical concept, but a highly practical one. We have developed the technology and tools to engage the ecosystem economy, such that privacy is protected and users have control over their data. Our goal is to create a world where businesses can thrive without sacrificing the privacy and security of their customers. We believe that this is not only possible, but necessary for the future of e-commerce.