Digital Public Infrastructure for Cross-Border Data Portability: The Dataswyft Model
Unlocking the Free Flow of Data
People and businesses move freely across borders, but their data does not. Locked in silos, it is costly to share, hard to port and vulnerable to misuse. This lack of cross-border data portability slows innovation, limits inclusion and undermines trust in the digital economy.
The Dataswyft Wallet demonstrates how digital public infrastructure can solve this challenge. Built on the principle of citizen data ownership, it provides the foundation for secure, scalable, and portable data exchange across borders.
A New Model for Data Portability
At the heart of the Dataswyft Wallet is a citizen-first design. Issuers such as banks, telcos, or universities create proof templates. Citizens then mint these templates into badges (e.g., Over 18, Resident, KYC-verified) using their own data.
Citizens control how badges are shared:
Proof-only: Counterparties see only the proof, such as age verification, without revealing a birthdate.
Data-based: Citizens can securely push underlying data. Each exchange is linked to the badge ID for verification, while the wallet itself remains private to prevent cross-service tracking.
Every exchange is licensed, logged and revocable. This makes cross-border data portability both scalable and privacy-preserving.
Empowering Data Providers
Data providers, who may or may not be issuers of badges, can play a central role in building digital identity ecosystems. They can:
Return data to citizens while issuing proof templates.
Earn value from template minting, badge validation, and licensed data.
Set usage terms through Smart Data Schemes that govern data portability and reuse.
Because templates exist in a marketplace, citizens gain more choice, and providers unlock new value through trusted and auditable exchanges.
Delegating Authority with Accountability
When a citizen shares information, data flows peer-to-peer between wallets. The receiving wallet belongs to an authorised staff member, verified with their own proof of authority.
This design addresses a long-standing governance challenge: Organisations lack personhood online, but people do not. By decentralizing portability through citizens, the Wallet ensures every transaction is anchored to an accountable individual. All data exchanges remain citizen-owned, auditable and retractable.
Interconnected Data Markets
The Dataswyft Wallet enables four interconnected markets that underpin digital public infrastructure:
Audience Markets: Help organizations reach verified groups (e.g., low-income households for subsidies).
Proof Markets: Validate badges like Over 18 without oversharing.
Data Markets: Allow licensed citizen data to flow securely (e.g., for medical research).
Insight Markets: Provide anonymised analytics (e.g., farmers’ crop planting intentions).
Issuers also access zero-knowledge analytics: They can see where and how badges are used, but never who used them unless explicitly licensed.
Why It Matters for Governments
The case for policy action is clear:
Affordable adoption: Market activity helps subsidise rollout costs.
Cross-border interoperability: Citizens and firms carry trusted proofs across jurisdictions.
Rapid uptake: Wallets can be embedded into existing apps and platforms.
Privacy by design: No surveillance, no oversharing; every transaction licensed.
Inclusion: Ensures digital services reach all citizens, not just the connected.
Conclusion
Cross-border data portability is no longer optional. Governments that embed citizen ownership, interoperability standards, and privacy by design into their digital strategies will unlock innovation and public trust.
The Dataswyft Wallet shows how this can be achieved. Already in use by NGOs, associations, and clubs, it demonstrates how citizen-controlled data portability can move from principle to practice, offering a trusted foundation for inclusive, globally interoperable digital public infrastructure.