Helsinki to give citizens control of their personal data

In a bid to offer more predictive, personalised digital services, the City of Helsinki is taking steps to ensure it can use citizens’ data in a trusted and secure way.

A key aspect of this is allowing citizens to manage their own data, including how it is shared with different services in the city as well as between organisations or other cities.

Helsinki has joined the MyData Global Network. MyData is a principle for personal information management, including giving people the ability to understand the data which is gathered from them and provide consent for how it is used.

This week, the Finnish capital announced it has selected Vastuu Group to provide a MyData solution which enables secure data transfer based on individuals’ consent. The company specialises in developing services using personal data.

Mayor of Helsinki, Jan Vapaavuori, said: “Helsinki aims to be the most functional city in the world. The key element in this has been our ambitious digitalisation programme. In the future, we want to target the city services in a predictive way that calls for the utilisation of analytics and data.

“Trust is in the essence of data usage: the citizens need to be  [able] to trust that the city is using data on their behalf and with their consent so that it benefits both, the citizens and the city. This is what MyData is basically about.”

Decentralised data

Mikko Rusama, Chief Digital Officer, City of Helsinki, recently shared how healthcare is one key area of many where a personalised approach based on data could deliver results. Helsinki is working on a proactive Health Benefit Analysis tool which aims to help prevent ill health before it occurs for the benefit of citizens as well as the healthcare system.

Vastuu Group’s MyData tools enable the ‘decentralisation’ of personal data. Rather than all data being stored centrally, it is moved between parties without unnecessary copies being made. This aims to reduce the risk of information breaches.

“Implementing the MyData principles is a central goal in Helsinki’s digitalisation programme. We collaborate with Vastuu Group and the cities of Espoo, Turku and Oulu to ensure citizens’ transparency and better control on how their data is being used. Helsinki is an international forerunner in building [a] human-centric internet,” Rusama said.

Vastuu Group’s solution for the City of Helsinki has been developed with Fujitsu Finland, Nixu Oyj, Personium, and 1001 Lakes.

AI experimentation

The MyData announcements come weeks after Helsinki outlined how it is using rapid experimentation to see how artificial intelligence (AI) and robotic process automation (RPA) can be used to improve city services.

Solutions which are adopted permanently are listed in Helsinki’s AI Register, which was launched in September to increase transparency and detail how AI is used in city services. It incorporates an overview of AI systems as well as information on the datasets they use, how data is processed, inclusion, risks, and whether the tools have human oversight.

Image: Paul Hanaoka on Unsplash