Bolstering Strategic Relationship between UBC and Pioneering Decentralized Platform, Manyone

This academic-industry partnership is one of the first to critically evaluate the feasibility of decentralized social media, explore engineering possibilities, and also set up the privacy and security implications of self-ownership of social media data.

FREMONT, CA: Manyone, a pioneering technology venture in decentralization and digital identity, has declared that 2021 marks the second year of the strategic partnership between Manyone and The Peer Social Foundation and the Blockchain@UBC research cluster at the University of British Columbia.

This academic-industry collaboration is one of the first to critically evaluate the feasibility of decentralized social media, explore engineering possibilities, and also set up the privacy and security implications of self-ownership of social media data.

Blockchain@UBC Graduate researchers get opportunities for research at Manyone and The Peer Social Foundation by applying for grants from MITACS (Mathematics of Information Technology and Complex System), a Canadian non-profit research organization that supports cross-sector collaboration and develops talents for the innovation ecosystem in Canada.

In the next year, UBC researchers will find out technical requirements for decentralized identities, design new system architecture, and also explore the value and business models for blockchain-based identity management.

Chang Lu, Research Manager at Blockchain@UBC stated that, "Manyone and The Peer Social Foundation offer an inspiring space for our students to sharpen their knowledge about blockchain. Their vision of decentralized social media represents a paradigm shift in the world of social networks. We are grateful that we can contribute to the shift".

Michael Cholod CEO at Manyone and The Peer Social Foundation remarked, "As a Vancouver based pioneering enterprise, we value the opportunity to work with academics and researchers in Canada to identify the social and organizational impact of decentralized identity and determine the privacy and security implications of self-ownership of social media data. The academics at UBC help us in understanding the bigger picture and how to look for real-world solutions."