Sharing data on me

There's an interesting new company called Root Markets that enables consumers to grap, store and exploit data about themselves. I don't have enough details on how it works exactly, but it's also an interesting initiative in the context of what's being called Identity 2.0.

"The consumer piece of the puzzle is especially intriguing. Root Markets plans to tap into the AttentionTrust concept, which believes consumers own their own data -- be it click-stream data, del.icio.us tags, credit reports, or something as fundamental as name and address. In the ideal Root Markets world, consumers who want a chance to win a free iPod or want a mortgage quote would simply allow a selective peek into his Root Vault -- a central, individually managed repository for consumer data. Currently, users can begin collecting data (click-stream data only, for now) for their Root Vault via a Firefox plug-in. Eventually, Seth envisions a multitude of ways data will enter the vault. It will only be shared when consumers explicitly allow it and accept the value exchange; my credit report in exchange for a lower interest rate on a loan, for example. Helping Root Markets make that data valuable is former Amazon Chief Scientist Andreas Weigend, who told me his mission is to "understand the data, interpret the data, and, more importantly, create products of the data that create value."