The GliaNet Fiduciaries™ Pledge 

I. The Three Pledge Tiers

Tier One: Protect (Guardian): Duty of Care

This pledged commitment combines two essential elements of care: the fiduciary duty of care (taking reasonable and prudent steps to help ensure that the individual client is not harmed by the company’s actions), and the tort-like liability standard (doing no actual harm to the client). This is the foundational principle of the PEP Model, which amounts to taking a protective, “do  no harm” posture to defend the client.

In Web terms, DataPal agrees to take certain steps to safeguard the client’s personal data and any shared confidences. For example, DataPal agrees not to share the client’s personal data with a third party without express and authentic consent. This duty also encompasses agreeing not to use cookies or other mechanisms to surveil or track the customer’s online activities, extract data outside of the acknowledged commercial relationship, or use the data in any way to manipulate the client’s actions or behaviors. Beyond compliance with any applicable data protection legal requirements, such as GDPR, DataPal will utilise a variety of techniques, such as data localization, minimization, and anonymization, to help keep the client’s personal data safe and secure.

Tier Two: Enhance (Mediator): Duty of Fidelity

The “thin” duty of loyalty states that DataPal will resolve any conflicts of interest or duties in favour of the individual client. 

In the Web context, DataPal can also take on the role of a neutral mediator between competing interests. For example, DataPal can help the client establish social media, news, or shopping feeds that better represent the client’s interests, or those of their end user customers, as opposed to those of outside data brokers or surreptitious marketers and advertisers.

Tier Three: Promote (Advocate): Duty of Loyalty

The “thick” duty of loyalty is the high-water mark of the PEP Model. Here, DataPal agrees to take proactive steps to promote the best interests of the client, in agreed alignment with the company’s product capabilities and strategic direction. Examples could include recommending additional/more advanced technologies to advance the client’s interests, such as helping promulgate intent-casting applications or algorithmic middleware decision engines to serve the client’s end user customers.

II. Authentic Customer Consent

As a way of acquiring personal data and influencing the end user, most Web companies employ “notice and consent” processes, blessed by GDPR and other data privacy regimes. Unfortunately, such processes are wholly inadequate to gain actual assent from an individual, because they do not require an authentic commercial relationship. 

As part of its Pledge to its customers and clients, the GliaNet Fiduciary™ agrees to interact with its customers and clients using more comprehensive and relational “connect and concur” processes. These include five core elements, based on the Elizabeth Edenberg/Meg Jones framing:

  • Context: DataPal provides only specified services and offerings to its customers and clients.

  • Scope: DataPal explains how its provided services may affect aspects of the client’s digital self, including her personal data, algorithmic decision-making, and virtual interfaces. 

  • Knowledge: DataPal transparently provides the client with all relevant information about the commercial relationship, utilizing plain language and machine/AI-readable formats.

  • Voluntarism: DataPal offers its services to the client free from any deception or coercion, and with ample options made available to the client to join/leave the relationship.

  • Fairness: DataPal extends fair and equitable treatment to the client vis-à-vis other clients and customers.

In addition to these five elements, DataPal wishes to incorporate a further commitment regarding individual empowerment and standardized privacy terms. Specifically, DataPal agrees that individuals may choose to engage with DataPal using the base-level personal privacy agreement defined in the IEEE P7012 / MyTerms standard. This base agreement, currently known as Service Delivery BASE (SD BASE), sets a contractual foundation built upon transparency, data minimization, purpose limitation, and reciprocity.

By enabling individuals to opt into SD BASE, DataPal agrees to honor these standardized rights and constraints as binding terms of service. This incorporation ensures that each client may interact with DataPal through a privacy framework that is not only machine-readable and interoperable, but also explicitly designed to favor the individual.

Disclaimer:

This Pledge reflects DataPal voluntary governance commitments and design principles. This commitment in itself does not establish a legal fiduciary relationship. All responsibilities are subject to applicable laws, technical feasibility, and commercially reasonable efforts, as defined in the company’s agreements with customers and clients.

For more information about the GliaNet Fiduciaries™ Pledge, please check out the website here, or contact hello@glianetalliance.org.