How many online services are we subscribed to? The answer may not be that simple, and indeed it is not. We could refer to the social networks or who knows what other platforms used more widely, but we are sure that any attempt to reconstruct the small or large “crumbs” ( rectius , personal data) disseminated on the Internet would be vain and incomplete. In fact, those websites visited years and years ago and whose existence we do not even remember, are missing, but to which we have granted a small part of our privacy : we needed them at that moment and we chose to register – thus accepting the terms of service – because it was useful to do so. After all, this is the power of the web, a world of endless and practically infinite spaces.
All this, however, collides with an important fact. The General Data Protection Regulation ( GDPR ), in force since July 2018, establishes the right to request the cancellation of their personal data to companies and online services: this legal situation can be exercised through a written or verbal request made by the user to the same platforms. While appreciating the underlying spirit of the GDPR, it is nevertheless difficult to exercise this “clause of the right to be forgotten” – as it has been renamed – if the exact number is not known of online services and companies that have our information in hand. This need is met by Mine , a free service from an Israeli start-up that promises to put control of their personal data back in the hands of the individual, simply by exploiting a Google account , Microsoft or Yahoo (not others, at least for the moment) that the user used to sign up for a given platform or given service.
As explained by founders Gal Ringer, Gal Golan and Kobi Nissan, Mine is a response – or at least tries to – the growing concerns about online data collection and the possible implications on privacy , offering the user an intelligent method to exercise the right recognized by the GDPR. In fact, Mine exploits machine learning algorithms to analyze which companies and services the user has registered for over the years, starting from a certain and unifying data which is that of Google, Microsoft or Yahoo account email address. The platform will therefore not only act as a useful information collector, but will facilitate the exercise of the provision recognized by the GDPR: it will in fact Mine to send the request to delete the personal data held by that online service or that company on our behalf, as if it were some sort of intermediary. “We appreciate the ease and benefits of being online, but we firmly believe that personal data is owned by the user and should remain the property of the user,” the Israeli platform said in a statement. «(Personal data) are not statistics ; represent your identity and could potentially be used against you “.
To do this, you must first register with Mine using the credentials of your Google, Microsoft or Yahoo account and granting the platform permission to be able to access your mailbox. email. The system will then sift through all the websites to which the user has registered with that account and to which he can (possibly) ask to remove all his information. The platforms will be sorted by category: eBay, Amazon and online retailers are listed among the holders of financial data, while Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Reddit and dating apps are included among those that hold social data; there is also a category of services rarely used by the user. Each website is indicated with the respective logo and shows some information – including especially the last time the user logged in – which will allow to evaluate the opportunity to delete the data or not.
The website is entirely in English but it is very intuitive to consult even for those who chew the language little or nothing. In any case, it is sufficient to know that the most important aspect is the « Reclaim» button, which directs the user to a page from which it is possible to obtain additional and detailed information on his registration. to the platform, on the last access, on the type of data stored by the platform itself.
Remaining in the same screen, there are two buttons: « I need it », which will identify the site as necessary, and «Reclaim», to provide for the opposite cancellation. In this second case, the system will generate an email in the name of the user , starting from a pre-filled template to which Mine will only add the information to which it has had access following registration (and therefore name, surname and e-mail address). By entering the “ My Reclaim ” section, you can monitor the progress of your request. And here we enter rather delicate terrain. Mine in fact acts as a sort of intermediary : that is, it sends the email on our behalf to the company to which registration is requested, in accordance with the envisaged law by the GDPR, but does not ensure (obviously) the final result. Indeed, some companies may require additional information or confirmation of identity before a person's data is completely erased.
Mine is a safe service. As can be seen from the FAQ , the platform “does not read or collect the contents of e-mails” and, in any case, it remains possible to unsubscribe from the website at any time.
