Sophia Antipolis, France, 13 November 2025

Today, ETSI has published a new Technical Report (TR), which outlines a forward-looking vision for how AI can enable direct user control of personal data. This lays the foundation for the development of new personalised digital services, promoting a user-focused approach within next-generation digital ecosystems.

The Technical Report, ETSI TR 104 027, provides a detailed analysis of what users have come to expect of data-driven technologies, including AI, deep learning and machine learning. It introduces the concept of the User Information System (UIS), a framework developed to support Smart Customised Services (SCS) from both users and providers. These services deliver enhanced personalisation, adaptability, and intelligent decision-making across the digital ecosystem. Such frameworks enable individuals to manage their own data and services, allowing for selective disclosure, personalised service composition and greater autonomy.

Users of digital services have typically had limited control over their personal data. The common "share all" approach to how data is released means that control is passed to the service provider completely. This report challenges that approach to give the user autonomy enabling them to be the sovereign authority over their data.

At the heart of the TR is a shift toward giving individuals greater control through technology. This involves allowing people to manage their own preferences, such as through a digital twin that represents them and their data. AI agents could then interact with this digital twin’s attributes and resources, using them to make intelligent decisions that enhance the user’s overall digital experience. This marks a decisive shift away from traditional models where service providers make the decision about how data is used. By integrating user representation into the system, the UIS allows individual users the autonomy to shape their digital experiences in ways that are personalised, transparent and use-case driven.

The UIS and SCS frameworks are designed to serve a broad spectrum of users, from everyday citizens to specialist communities and focused sub-groups. By introducing smart and assistive technologies into digital platforms, the system enhances participation in public, social and economic activities, while offering greater independence and empowerment to individuals.

ETSI TR 104 027 also provides the foundation for future standards geared towards microservice capabilities and AI-based user representations. These will be developed by the ETSI key technical committees addressing securing AI, cybersecurity and privacy, and data for information handling, with a view to ensuring that user needs are fully reflected in ETSI's output.

"We live in a digital world where users often feel like passive participants in opaque data practices and rigid service models. This Technical Report represents an important step towards a new era of inclusive and participatory technology development", said Scott Cadzow, Chair, ETSI TC SAI. "By responding to users’ specific needs and preferences, and embedding their choices into the technical architecture, we strive to build a more ethical, transparent, and user‑driven experience".

ETSI believes that trust, transparency, consent, and privacy between users and technologists is critical for sustainable innovation. While this goal is ambitious, progress begins with exploration and dialogue. That is why ETSI TR 104 027 stands as a critical blueprint for enabling the next generation of smart services.

For more information, visit https://www.etsi.org/technologies/securing-artificial-intelligence.

About ETSI

ETSI is one of only three bodies officially recognised by the European Union as a European Standards Organisation (ESO). It is an independent, not-for-profit body dedicated to ICT standardisation. With over 900 member organisations from more than 60 countries across five continents, ETSI offers an open and inclusive environment for members representing large and small private companies, research institutions, academia, governments, and public organisations. ETSI supports the timely development, ratification, and testing of globally applicable standards for ICT‑enabled systems, applications, and services across all sectors of industry and society.

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