Buyers of purchased datasets face a related blind spot: consent and origin are asserted rather than verified, making ethical sourcing difficult to confirm. The EU Data Act gave individuals the right to request their own data back from companies, but that right existed on paper long before any platform gave people a practical way to exercise it or capture what it was worth.
Users request their personal data from companies through the Reef Data app, which translates raw files into something people can actually read. From there, individuals decide what to contribute to a shared cooperative pool. Only the data marked for sharing is anonymized on-device before partner companies negotiate access to it directly with Reef. Every transaction and reward is recorded on Cardano using Reeve, so auditors, the broader community, and each individual can verify their share without exposing user identities. The cooperative operates with backing from Hamburger Volksbank, ARIC e.V., VALIO Hamburg GmbH & Co., and Disruptive Elements.
Each stage gives individuals a checkpoint to decide what happens with their data next.
Individuals ask companies for their personal data through the Reef Data app.
The app converts bulk files into something a non-technical user can interpret.
Individuals decide which data to contribute to the cooperative pool and which to withhold.
What's selected for sharing is stripped of identifying details on the device, before it ever leaves the user's control.
Every transaction and reward anchors on Cardano through Reeve, where auditors and the community can check it independently.
The platform establishes a basis for individuals to control, verify, and benefit from their own data.
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