Who Owns You? Social Media Platforms or Yourself?

In the digital age, your online identity is arguably as important as your physical one. Social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and X (formerly Twitter) have become the gatekeepers of our virtual selves. They store our data, influence what we see, shape our opinions, and monetize our presence—often without our informed consent. The question is no longer whether our data is being collected, but rather: Who owns it, and what rights do we have over it?

Utah may be the first U.S. state to answer this question in a groundbreaking way. With the Digital Choice Act set to take effect on July 1, 2026, the state is proposing something revolutionary: giving individuals the right to truly own and transfer their online identity and data across digital platforms. This legislation is not just a policy change; it’s a paradigm shift in how we view data ownership, privacy, and the architecture of the internet itself.

The Current Landscape: Locked in Digital Walled Gardens

Right now, when you create an account on a social media platform, you are essentially handing over your personal data—your photos, posts, preferences, and behavioral patterns—in exchange for access to their service. In return, these companies build detailed profiles of you, which they use to serve targeted ads and, in many cases, sell insights to third parties.

Even if you choose to leave a platform, your data doesn’t leave with you. Try switching from Facebook to a smaller, privacy-focused network and you’ll find there’s no easy way to carry your connections, posts, or digital persona with you. You start over from scratch. This model discourages competition and traps users in what are often referred to as "walled gardens."

The Utah Solution: A Digital Bill of Rights

Utah's Digital Choice Act is a potential breakthrough. It proposes that platforms must support open-source identity protocols that allow users to carry their social graph and data with them wherever they go on the internet. Think of it like having a passport for your online identity that works on any platform you choose to visit.

The bill requires large social media companies to build systems that allow users to:

Export their data in usable formats

Port their digital identity to other platforms

Retain control over how their data is used and shared

Use third-party tools to interact with multiple platforms from one interface


These principles align with what some technologists and ethicists call "self-sovereign identity" — the idea that individuals should have full control over their digital presence, just as they do their physical identity.

Why This Matters for the Human Community

The implications of such a law go beyond privacy. Data is power, and reclaiming that power can shift the balance back in favor of individuals and communities. Here’s why this matters:

1. Privacy as a Human Right

When you control your data, you reduce the risk of it being misused. From targeted disinformation campaigns to identity theft and surveillance, centralized control of personal data makes us all vulnerable. Giving people the ability to manage and move their data can mitigate these risks.

2. Mental Health and Digital Wellbeing

Social media platforms are engineered for engagement, often at the cost of mental health. Algorithms optimize for outrage and addiction, keeping users scrolling endlessly. With more control over how and where their data is used, users can choose platforms that prioritize healthy interaction.

3. Economic Empowerment

Your data has value. Right now, it's the platforms that reap the profits. If individuals can control and even monetize their own data, it could open up new economic models where users are compensated for their participation.

4. Democratizing the Internet

Interoperable digital identities mean smaller platforms can compete more fairly with tech giants. Users wouldn’t be penalized for trying out new communities because they could take their data and friends with them. This fosters innovation and diversity in the digital ecosystem.

Potential Challenges and Criticism

As promising as Utah’s legislation sounds, it is not without its challenges.

1. Technical Feasibility

Building open protocols that support interoperability is complex. Platforms have invested billions in proprietary systems, and retrofitting them for openness will not be easy or cheap.

2. Corporate Pushback

Tech giants are likely to resist any change that threatens their monopolies. Lobbying efforts may attempt to water down or delay the implementation of such laws.

3. Security Risks

Opening up systems can introduce new vulnerabilities. Ensuring that portable identities are secure and not susceptible to fraud or misuse will be critical.

4. User Awareness

Many users are unaware of how their data is used or why this issue matters. Public education will be essential to drive adoption and demand for digital autonomy.

A First Step Toward Digital Freedom

Despite these challenges, the Digital Choice Act represents a meaningful first step toward a freer, fairer internet. If successful, it could set a precedent for other states—and even countries—to follow.

The internet was born as a decentralized, open system. Over time, it has become dominated by a few mega-corporations that profit off our attention and data. Reclaiming ownership of our digital selves is not just a matter of privacy—it’s a matter of freedom, dignity, and democracy.

Utah's bold move may just be the spark needed to ignite a global conversation about digital rights and responsibilities. As we move deeper into the 21st century, it's time we ask not just what technology can do, but what it should do for the people it serves.