The internet was built to connect people — open, free, and secure. Over time, control shifted to a handful of large platforms. Personal data became centralised, collected, and exploited. Users lost control over their own information.
We believe it’s time to turn the tide. There is a way to give people back control — without breaking digital business models. We have built it.
The Dutch Data Store Foundation was founded in late 2022. Its initiators were Arno Otto and Martijn van Dam. The foundation grew out of a collaboration between the largest Dutch media companies: DPG Media, Mediahuis Nederland, NPO, RTL Nederland, and Talpa Network. Others soon joined the collaboration. Beeld&Geluid, ROM Utrecht, Atumi and SolidLab from Flanders, Deloitte, Oliver Wyman, Muze, Triple IT, DataVillage, and many others helped develop the data store.
After a year of research, the foundation began developing the data store infrastructure in early 2024. Following tests with small groups and a large-scale pilot on major media sites, the service was further developed in 2025. This development was funded by Dutch media partners who wanted an alternative to the existing model of proprietary logins, cookies, and tracking, and by a grant from the European Regional Development Fund via Kansen voor West.
In the autumn of 2025, a split was decided: SNDK would manage the data store server and ensure the secure storage of personal data and protection of privacy. The newly founded company Utonomy took over the software to further develop and commercially exploit it, creating a sustainable revenue model for the data store infrastructure. SNDK retains a licence to the Upod software for the public sector, and is funded by Utonomy and by other parties that connect to the data store server.
To return personal data to its rightful owner: the user.
All personal data stored through our infrastructure:
Think of SNDK as the plumbing: we lay and maintain the infrastructure, ensure quality, and guarantee fair access for all. How organisations use that infrastructure to build their services is up to them — within the rules we set.
From 1 January 2026, SNDK operates the pod server: the infrastructure on which personal data vaults are stored. Any organisation — public or private — that wants to use those vaults can gain access, provided they comply with our strict rules on data protection and user control.
The software used to build applications on the pods is called Upod. SNDK holds an irrevocable non-profit licence for Upod for public and societal applications. The commercial development and rollout of Upod is handled by Utonomy, an independent company to serve organisations in the private sector.
In the summer of 2026, governance of SNDK will be handed over to a new, independent board. That board will oversee the foundation’s mission: protecting personal data, ensuring fair access to the infrastructure, and supporting societal applications. This is how SNDK remains what it was always meant to be — independent, transparent, and in service of society.
We protect personal data — for people, for society, for Europe.