Its creators hope Rvoke will become a major export for the Island by making it easier for companies to become legally compliant with the General Data Protection Regulation.
Rvoke allows users to retrieve and delete their personal data form tens of thousands of companies in one go. Under the GDPR legislation, which came into force in May of last year, consumers have a right to see what data is held on them and ask for it to be erased. Very few consumers are aware of just how many companies have their data because it is often shared both legally and illegally. The Cambridge Analytica scandal brought the issue of the use of personal data into the spotlight last
year.
The Rvoke app will also enable consumers to scan the dark web to see if their data has been included in a breach. While the basic app is free for consumers, there is also an app for companies which can easily plug into their customer management systems, and enable them to automatically process mass requests.
Companies are legally required to respond to the data requests under GDPR, and many fear it could prove expensive and time consuming, as more consumers become aware of their rights and start to ask for the information.
Co-founder and chief executive of Rvoke, Aonghus Fraser, said he wasn’t expecting the launch to be popular with companies initially because it makes bulk data requests easier.
He added: ‘But any company that has got their house in order will see this as a benefit. We are trying to make it as easy as possible to automate this process.
‘So yes, I do anticipate being fairly unpopular with some companies that haven’t got their house in order. But the legislation came out on May 25, 2018 – we’re now March 2019, what have they been
doing?’
Mr Fraser also said that he sympathised to some extent with small businesses, but their challenge is much smaller due having fewer customers. ‘I think it’s most likely to affect in a negative way a large organisation that should have got its house in order that hasn’t been able to for one reason or another,’ he said.
Rvoke will be harnessing online ID verification technology which it has already developed through sister company Atam ID.
