COVA (COVA)

COVA is a new paradigm for data to be used as capital. Data is quickly becoming the most important asset in the world, yet currently there is no infrastructure to control how it is used. COVA provides a unique solution to this dilemma and allows data owners to take advantage of the commodification of data. Data transferred through the COVA protocol can be protected even after access has been granted. COVA powers Smart Policies which enable data owners to allow their data to be accessed, and transacted while prohibiting undesirable privacy-compromising inferences. By empowering data owners without sacrificing the freedom of data transfer, Smart Policies give data property rights and enable it to be transacted as capital. COVA protocol is a new addition to the internet protocol suite that creates a web of secure and trusted execution. On COVA, data can be controlled with a Smart Policy: a data usage policy written in code that defines and enforces how it can be used. Data is safely transacted and processed inside a secure enclave by a swarm of TEE nodes equipped with Intel Software Guard Extensions (SGX), which prevent the host from being able to see your data or tamper with execution of code. COVA uses the guarantee from the processor-level security to implement self-protecting data with Smart Policies. COVA is partnering with several institutions such as hospitals and financial institutions, to open up a market of data previously locked up in data silos due to privacy concerns. COVA is the only data privacy project to support the entire scientific computing stack of python—including Numpy, Scipy, Scikit-learn, and Pandas on SGX. Data scientists can organically integrate their existing models with data on COVA and use tools familiar to them, including much of the Python ecosystem.