DataBuyer – the last of HATDeX tech suite, finally released

After a few months of building, I’m finally able to write about it.

The HAT platform will be releasing its retail data-buying service – the DataBuyer – on beta tomorrow (currently viewable on test mode at databuyer.hubat.net). DataBuyer is built on DEX (the data exchange service), both are part of HATDeX suite of tech products and serves as a way for companies that do not want to build apps and Internet services to request for personal data from HAT owners. DataBuyer is unique. It not only requests data from HAT users in return for cash, vouchers or services, it can also request for data users have not yet generated, or could generate i.e. A digital action.

Let me give you an example. A DataBuyer can ask for your Fitbit data, or your tweets, but these are usually data from your past. This is useful for some organizations e.g. If you are a researcher and you want to understand behaviours, you can issue a few hundred HATs as part of a research trial and request data through DataBuyer, or  if you are a market insight company, you can request data from HATs. If your participants agree (and they do have to give their consent), they can create a data debit with a button push, and share the data from their HAT with you. So researchers can ask for all manners of data that HAT users have collected into their HAT and users can give it, in return for something. This could be cash, vouchers or services.

But here is where DataBuyer gets even more interesting. It can also ask for data you haven’t yet generated, in the hope that you will generate it (version 2, coming out end of the month). For example, someone can offer a reward or cash for a tweet, in return for a freebie or promotion. If you agree, you would need to tweet it with a unique code and your twitter data that comes into your hat as data will be the fulfilment of the offer. One of the HAT Platform startups in the HAT Innovation ecosystem, Shape\ influence, intends to build it into a full marketplace offering for influencers and merchants to come together. Noggin Asia in Singapore is building on the HAT platform to match personal data with product purchases. Other HAT providers like Savy are coming on board to also create tools and services for personal data.

DataBuyer serves to show the power of the HAT private data platform to exchange data of the past, and digital actions of the future (which generates data). Offers range from showing up at a particular location at a certain time (fulfilled by location data and time), spending £10 in a supermarket (fulfilled by debit card data), or even exercising 3 days a week (fulfilled by Fitbit data). As the platform increases the amount of data that can be brought into individual HATs, the possibilities are endless.

In addition, the data exchange can be private. DataBuyers could request for HAT users location between 7-9am for example, so that they can be offered discounted coffee if when they are near a particular cafe. Best of all, this offer doesn’t include asking for HAT owners personal identity identifiers so theoretically HAT owners could accept the offer, redeem the coffee discount and the cafe merchant would not hold any data of who they are. Such privacy preserving data exchanges is what the HAT platform is promoting.

Corresponding with DataBuyer beta release is the iOS app for HAT that would be released next week (currently called Rumpel Lite). The HAT iOS app will have sections where HAT owners can see what data they can exchange for personalised entertainment (Watch-eet), personalised content (Read-eet) and buying digital actions (Do-eet).

Fitbit data is coming onto HAT soon and with it, the possibility to post up a free beer in return for a friend running 26,000 steps a day (is that a half marathon?). With open banking and GDPR coming on, The HAT platform is the place for exchanging not only past data, but exchanging digital actions, the future personal data. Interesting times ahead.

To be a HAT owner, a new HATTERs page will also be ready tomorrow at HATTERs.hubofallthings.com. You can see all the different HAT providers on that page. A new HAT dashboard for existing HAT owners (powered by Rumpel) to see data offers will also be released tomorrow.

7 products in the tech suite finally reaching a decent level of build and ready for usage and traction and as the product owner and designer of the platform, I have to say I am exhausted but I really want to credit my incredible HATDeX team and our wider product team, Jon Hewines and Ed Kemp! We are now gearing up for consumer launch last quarter of the year and a big advocacy campaign to get our data back and make individuals the new powerhouse of the future Internet. Do join us and don’t forget to sign up to MadHATTERS at http://hubofallthings.com/