I have followed this project long enough to know the sound knowledge of the implication it has in our todays world that is typically driven by data, in this article today I am going to share an interesting personal experience which took place very recently and made me understand that the subject of data safety is no small subject, in fact, it's way bigger than we think.

The world we currently live in is purely driven by data from any industry to the next industry on your mind. It has become the regular topic in almost all facet of life both industry and non-industry alike. From telecommunications to aviation to medicine, due to this, we have seen the successful implementation of some advanced features never seen until recently. Big data became the next big thing as various arms try to utilize the utility of what it enables which is an extremely large data sets that may be analyzed computationally to reveal patterns, trends, and associations, especially relating to human behavior and interactions.

Like I rightly pointed out Data is currently how we live in the world right now. In this article, the study on the effect of Big Data on health system pharmacy as it takes into perceptive could expose you the more to the subject matter. The effect of data in our everyday life could be seen when we have ads tailored specifically to how we behave online, how we respond to certain situations and where we may have entered out data.

Let's carry out a small practical

Open Google app

Search any preferred situation or area of interest of choice

Keep at it for some few minutes

Head back to your Facebook page, log in after you may have probably log off prior

Scroll down and notice the new targeted ads that are tailored around your previous search - share your experience here (I would appreciate seeing your feedback)

Now, this is one small example of how data affects our daily lives; This is what it is, scary? What if this data find their way into the hands of bad actors? what becomes of us?

My Recent Experience

Why trying to unwind for the day, I got a call from a new number rather strange cos I don't give out my mobile number to just anyone. The person on the other end of the call tries to act all familiar with me, handed down the following information of me why I listen in great astonishment, bewildered.

My previous location; where I moved from not too recently

My current location

What I am currently doing

The Bank I use How they got my exact mobile number still amazes me - I kept a call recording of this interaction between me and the allege data thieves who were trying to use it to steal from me in disguise of wanting to do some shady business with me - very outrageous.

This recent experience got me worried a whole lot. Not just about me but about those who may not have been properly enlightened and who may have fallen into such pit holes in time past. This project to me and the fact I am writing about it came at the right time with a befitting experience alongside.

what if I had control of my previous data?

Truth is at one point we all may have been naive and careless on how we hand down our data. We didn't pay attention to current policy governing a particular website or retail outlet. We willingly click on the "agree" button even without reading through the document much more conducting a due diligence about the said company or policy. But how could we when we have a whole lot running in our lives at the speed of light, I bet we have a whole lot on our mind at a go even why reading this now.

But what if I really had control of my data?

"The Internet is only as smart as the data it carries. Right now, data is mindless, easily exposed and abused. Imagine a new Internet composed of Smart Data that remembers, keeps a secret, learns from its users, and is open for good. COVA contributes to the making of this new Internet" - Covalent.ai

Following my recent experience a lot of "what ifs" came to my mind. What if I was the one who handed my data on a platter of gold to this fraudulent actors? or may be a data breach on one of the websites I might have entered my information, trust me I am still doing my investigation and if I mind a loophole which I can use to take on a lawsuit sure I will.

Remember the popular Facebook Cambridge Analytical? that was one of the biggest data leaks in this present age. A lot of lessons as to how our data are not entirely safe as we think them to be.

The Smart Internet Protocol

Quite an ambitious project if you ask me but the team of Vincent Li and Raymond Gao may be taking this to a very great extent. They are aiming to build an internet protocol that's safe and obeys the instruction of the Data Owner. Encoding a smart policy that enforces and determine how data behaves.

Quite an ambitious project if you ask me but the team of Vincent Li and Raymond Gao may be taking this to a very great extent. They are aiming to build an internet protocol that's safe and obeys the instruction of the Data owner. Encoding a smart policy that enforces and determine how data behaves.

Vincent Li - Studied Computer Science and Statistics in Harvard University, an early employee of Gigster (a16z), a token-based decentralized development shop, four years of research and trading experience in cryptocurrency, former engineer Citadel, USPhO 2010, former Member Tower research.



His Linkedin connection boasts of over 500+ with an incredible CV as seen in his work experience which shows his capability on delivery in his goals of delivering a safer internet protocol (cova://)



Raymond Gao - Graduate of Princeton University M.S. and Perking University B.S. Research assistant in the two mentioned universities. Early BTC/ETH adopter & miner, venture Capital and startup veteran, early investor in Conjur (acquired by NASDAQ: CYBR).

Find his Linkedin Profile here



The internet is made up of a suite of protocols, such as transport layer protocols like TCP/IP, and application layer protocols such as FTP, HTTP, SSH. Together, these protocols make sure that your data is properly, addressed, transmitted, routed, received, packetized, and interpreted — they make sure that your data gets to the right destination, without hassles and in no doubt.

However, the current suite of internet protocols does not regulate or determine what happens to a data after it has reached its destination. Data on the internet is mindless, exposed, and often abused. Data silos, data breaches, intellectual property infringements, unwanted advertisements, election manipulations, digital footprints, and spam are all negative effects of a lack of enforceable data usage policies.



COVA is this new internet protocol that the world needs, a new internet protocol of smart data that remembers, knows when to keep a secret, learns from its users, more and much more. Covalent is re-modelling Ethereum smart contract policy but slightly different with enforced data policy that ensure users data acts with a mind when executed. Taking a quote from Covalent Wiki Github page, analogy of the term usage between Covalent and Ethereum is compared:

Ethereum's "Smart Contracts" are contract that are enforced by code. It consists of two parts:

A contract specification language, called Solidity.

A contract enforcement framework called Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM).

Covalent's "Smart Policies" are data usage policies that are enforced by code. It consists of two parts:

A policy specification language called Centrifuge.

A policy enforcement framework called (CVM).

Smart Contract's biggest strength is its generality. Smart Policy's biggest strength is that it enables a previously impossible functionality.

Covalent.ai private test-net is over and done with but public test-net is opened for interest developers who are keen to make the internet safer; find here the link to the form.

Bi-weekly updates have begun so you may want to follow the various media outlets to stay abreast of news and happenings around the project.



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