The SME Phase 1 grant has supported a large-scale proof of concept of ID Ward (
https://id-ward.com(odnośnik otworzy się w nowym oknie)) with three large European media companies. ID Ward is a disruptive privacy-preserving software that implements a vision of personal data ownership which benefits both individual consumers and companies. ID Ward collects data generated on apps and websites and stores it in an encrypted data account under the user’s control. By using ID Ward, companies can provide personalised content, products and services to the user without accessing any personal information. Because the ID Ward data accounts aggregate data from multiple domains and devices, they can paint an accurate picture of the user preferences – driving better recommendations and higher conversion rates.
The project financed the technical and commercial activities needed to run a 13-week pilot of the ID Ward privacy software in the media sector. The pilot achieved the following results:
- It demonstrated user demand for ID Ward, with over 120,000 data accounts created in 13 weeks;
- It supported significant improvements to the user experience and optimization of the technical infrastructure, increasing conversion rates while decreasing costs;
- It demonstrated a positive correlation between content personalisation and audience engagement (page views and time spent on page), although causation could not be proved due to the impossibility of using historical comparisons of media use during the Covid-19 crisis;
- It allowed the company to explore, and validate, the opportunity to exploit the ID Ward technology in the adjacent sector of digital advertising.
The pilot has proven that the technology has great potential and has influenced the company’s strategic direction. Conversations with C-level executives in top media and advertising companies indicated that the digital advertising sector is looking for technical solutions to the changes initiated by GDPR and the sunsetting of third-party cookies, and that ID Ward’s approach to data privacy provides a credible path forward. As a result, the company will seek to accelerate expansion in the digital advertising market as it transitions to a privacy-friendly, post-cookie reality over the next 24 months. By changing the locus of control over data, the project aims to support the implementation and future development of privacy law, create a data level-playing field that stimulates innovation in Europe, especially from SMEs and achieve data sovereignty in Europe.
