FoldDB A Database for Data Sovereignty
A peer-to-peer database system enabling privacy-preserving computation, logic-bound data retrieval, and economic incentives for data sharing.
Research Overview
FoldDB addresses the fundamental challenge of data sovereignty in distributed systems. Traditional databases require data centralization, creating privacy risks and limiting user control over their information.
Our system implements a novel architecture combining:
Schema-based permissions
Fine-grained access control through formal logic
Privacy-preserving computation
AI reasoning without data exposure
Economic incentives
Compensation for authorized data access
Peer-to-peer architecture
Decentralized data storage and retrieval
Key Contributions
Logic-Bound Access Control
Formal schema definitions enable precise control over data access patterns, ensuring privacy while maintaining computational utility.
Compute Without Exposure
AI systems can perform reasoning and analysis on data without ever having direct access to the underlying information.
Economic Model
Data owners receive compensation for authorized access, creating sustainable incentives for data sharing and system participation.
Decentralized Architecture
Peer-to-peer design eliminates single points of failure and reduces reliance on centralized infrastructure.
Interface as Structure
FoldDB fundamentally reimagines database architecture by making the interface the structure itself. How you read and write into the database defines the structure of the database—there is no separation between the API and the underlying data organization.
This approach eliminates the traditional distinction between schema and data, between structure and content. The database structure emerges from the operations performed on it, creating a self-organizing system where the interface and the data model are one and the same.
Unified Schema System
Unlike traditional databases where each instance can have different schemas, FoldDB operates on a single, unified set of schemas that everyone uses. This means every participant in the network shares the same structural understanding of data, enabling seamless interoperability and querying.
The unified schema system ensures that data can be queried the same way across all nodes in the network, regardless of where it's stored or who owns it. This creates a truly distributed database where the structure is consistent and predictable across the entire system.
Non-Relational Data Model
FoldDB abandons the relational model in favor of a more flexible, non-relational approach that better suits distributed, privacy-preserving computation. Data is organized around logical operations and access patterns rather than rigid table structures.
This non-relational design allows for more dynamic data organization, enabling the system to adapt to different types of data and access patterns while maintaining the unified schema system that ensures consistency across the network.
Technical Architecture
FoldDB implements a novel database architecture based on atomic operations, schema evolution, and permission-based access control. The system uses formal logic to define data relationships and access patterns, enabling precise control over information flow.
Key technical innovations include append-only data structures, distributed consensus mechanisms, and privacy-preserving computation protocols that maintain data sovereignty while enabling useful analysis.