Episode 194: My Terms and IEEE 7012

What if people—not platforms—set the terms for personal data sharing? This episode explores MyTerms, the IEEE 7012 standard for machine-readable privacy agreements, and how it could replace today’s broken click-through consent model with negotiated digital contracts. We’ll discuss whether MyTerms could become the trust layer for AI agents, personalization, and the next generation of the Internet.

#Speakers

• Host: Mike Schwartz, Founder/CEO Gluu
• Guest: Iain Henderson, Person data Architect

#Homework

• My Terms Video
• IEEE Standard for Machine Readable Personal Privacy Terms
• Customer Commons Website
• MyTerms Website
• MyTerms Launch webinar
• IEEE My Terms working group

#Takeaways

• The most important innovation is that MyTerms flips privacy from organization-first to person-first. IEEE 7012 treats the individual as the “first party,” allowing people—or their agents—to propose their own machine-readable privacy terms instead of blindly accepting endless cookie banners and contracts of adhesion.
• Cookie banners are the first target problem MyTerms wants to solve. Users overwhelmingly want a universal “service-only” privacy signal that eliminates repetitive consent popups while still preserving compliance records for regulators and businesses.
• PrivacyClaw? AI agents may finally make personal privacy negotiation practical. The original MyTerms vision assumed individuals would eventually have software agents. 23 years later... the tech has finally caught up to the vision?
• Enforcement is envisioned as automated online dispute resolution (ODR). Instead of requiring individuals to sue companies manually, MyTerms proposes machine-readable contracts combined with automated evidence gathering and dispute workflows—for example, detecting unauthorized third-party cookies after a “service-only” agreement.
• Adoption will likely start with small organizations—not Big Tech, which is 99.9% of the businesses out there.