This project covers preparatory work for the creation of new infrastructure to enable individuals to convey trustworthy personal data ('credentials') to and between counterparties, both organisations and other individuals. Applications include: (i) a portable personal achievement record, to be used as a point in the cloud from which a learner can interact (and communicate) with learning providers and transition between them, and into employment, sharing trustworthy qualification data at each step; (ii) sharing of proof of identity held by one bank to another to open a new account, or to DWP when claiming Universal Credit; (iii) sharing of a 'key-worker' credential, to be used to claim priority in the booking of a slot for home delivery of groceries; and (iv) the sharing of a covid-19 immunity certificate from a test lab to an employer (should society decided to follow that route). Note there are quicker ways to achieve (iii) and (iv): this is an infrastructure project to address a broad class of applications, not a quick fix.

The PIB Feasibility study seeks to determine the technical and commercial practicality of creating a new ecosystem to give individuals better control of their personal information online. We envisage that individuals will be able to choose ‘a personal information broker’ (PIB) from a managed market, and then use their broker account to: (i) link to, and communicate with, multiple counterparties, both organisations and other individuals; and (ii) give explicit permission for the transmission of personal information to, and between, such counterparties. PIB is likely to be used first in the education sector; we are working towards a pilot in which a university will invite new students to choose a broker account immediately prior to starting their course. If successful, PIB would then spread to other universities, filter down to schools, and follow students in to the commercial world. The development company, PIB-d Ltd, is a joint-venture between the HE sector (as represented by JISC and the University of Hertfordshire) and the private sector.