Themis - Arrange your digital heritage
Aim of the research and development project "Themis" is the implementation of an innovative service that allows the secure handling of data. Encryption and archiving enable the secure handing down of data from one generation to another. If required, notarial supervision can be consulted.
Project Description
The term Themis arises form the Greek mythology and means the goddess of order and justice. According to this meaning, the project addresses the structured administration of the inheritance of the own digital identity. On the one hand, the personal data has to be protected against unauthorized access. On the other hand, the Themis platform should allow the transfer of the digital heritage to the defined heirs avoiding any misuse. Therefore, the administration of access keys and the long-term archiving of data are important parts in the development of Themis.
First of all, the technical challenges are analysed and rated using the methods scientific research and experimental development. Afterwards, a prototypical application with limited functional range and include a high usability was developed and implemented.
Project partners
In the project Themis, we act as consortium leader. The consortium consists of the following members:
- AIT Austrian Institute of Technology GmbH
- Dieter Gombotz S3 Software, Systems, Services
- FH OÖ Forschungs & Entwicklungs GmbH, Campus Hagenberg
- GTN - Global Training Network GmbH
- JKU, Institut für Digital Business
- Miracle Information Systems GmbH
BackMeUp
On 30.10.2012 BackMeUp was awarded the Rudolf Trauner Prize for particularly interesting cooperation projects with the university or the universities of applied sciences.
Themis is the sequel to the project "BackMeUp". Three companies and five research institutions cooperate in the interdisciplinary network BackMeUp to raise the awareness of personal data that is shared in different web 2.0 platforms on the one hand. On the other hand, BackMeUp shall provide the possibility of archiving data - that is stored in numerous online platforms - in one backup.
Data volume in the internet - that is moreover deserving protection - is increasing permanently. Applications of web 2.0 and cloud computing enjoy great popularity, despite of the danger and the problems that come along with them. The (personal) digital heritage of million of users is entrusted to a few provider of web services and social networks. These providers can shortly decide to close down their service or only offer their services with costs.
Economic changes, the acquisition of companies or the bankruptcy of service provider are only a few examples which can cause the loss of digital data stored in social networks. If the service is not available for days or for hours or data get lost due to a server failure at the provider, this will probably result in bad consequences, especially for companies.
Together with the members of the consortium, we realised a prototypical solution that integrates complex judicial and social problems. Besides the saving of data divided on different servers worldwide, the absence of export functions in many cases or data privacy, especially the differing legal practices in countries worldwide are to be involved when developing a backup service. Worldwide divided data meet user worldwide that are subject to differing legal regulations and situations.
Key data of the project
Themis
Project start: November 2013
Project duration: 24 months
Funding Framework: COIN - program "Cooperation and Networks"
BackMeUp
Project start: June 2011
Project duration: 18 months
Funding Framework: COIN - program "Cooperation and Networks"
The projects Themis and BackMeUp have received funding from the FFG Österreichische Forschungsförderungsgesellschaft in the national structural program COIN - 'Cooperation and Networks'.