An EU report has called for local governments to limit the access which technology companies such as Google and Facebook have over citizen data.

Decentralised Citizen-owned Data Ecosystems (DECODE) – part of the EU’s Horizon 2020 initiative – aims to secure Europe’s global competitiveness. In the report it argues that a shift from siloed data access to an inclusive digital economy is in the interest of cities across the world.

It also proposes that the control which companies such as Google and Facebook currently have over data is stifling fair social and economic innovation.

‘There need to be new models of governance that move beyond simply trusting major internet providers to share our data for public good when and how they see fit,’ the report read.

To highlight the potential of an alternative system, DECODE is to run four pilot project across Amsterdam and Barcelona between 2017 and 2019.

In Barcelona, a new partnership with Barcelona City Council and the Decidim.Barcelona will enable data streams, including healthcare information. Meanwhile, in Amsterdam, the city will expand upon the Gebiedonline (Neighbourhood Online) platform which enables locals to share news, arrange meet-ups, and exchange products and services.

Francesca Bria, DECODE co-ordinator and chief technology and digital innovation officer, Institut Municipal d’Informatica de Barcelona, said: “Today, citizens have little say in how their data is gathered or used. Data is accumulated in the hands of few online platforms that profit from its value, helping them to secure control over the digital economy.

“Immense power has been shifted to just one sector of society as a result. We need a new social pact on data to make the most out of data for the public good, while guaranteeing privacy and information self-determination for citizens,” Bria added.

The report preludes the introduction of tighter EU internet rules in the form of May 2018’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

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