WikiDeal is designed from the outset to minimise the platform's access to user data. Where mainstream platforms treat user data as a primary asset — collecting, analysing, and monetising it — WikiDeal treats data as belonging to users and held only in trust, for minimum periods, in minimum quantities.

Local-First Architecture

WikiDeal's technical architecture is local-first: wherever possible, data is stored on users' own devices and only the minimum necessary information is transmitted to shared Infrastructure. A babysitting agreement, once signed by both parties, lives on the devices of the family and the babysitter. The platform Infrastructure holds a cryptographic proof that the agreement was signed, but not the content of the agreement itself unless both parties consent to shared storage.

This architecture is technically challenging — it requires careful design of conflict resolution, backup, and recovery mechanisms — but it fundamentally changes the data power relationship. The platform cannot sell data it does not have. Advertisers cannot be served on data the platform cannot access. And when WikiDeal eventually becomes the platform it aspires to be — used by millions of babysitters, tutors, and freelancers worldwide — it will not have created a surveillance corpus of intimate human behaviour.

Identity and Privacy

WikiDeal funders' individual contribution data is kept strictly confidential. Aggregate figures (total number of funders, total CHF raised, distribution of Community vs Cash Credits (no guarantee*) allocations) are published transparently. Individual allocations are never disclosed without explicit consent. When a funder chooses to increase their Community allocation, an aggregate public notification is issued ("a funder increased community allocation") without identifying the individual.

For marketplace Transactions, WikiDeal uses a selective disclosure model: parties to a Transaction share only the data necessary to complete that Transaction, reputation scores are computed locally and verified by the platform without revealing the underlying ratings, and dispute resolution can proceed without exposing private communications to the platform operators unless legally required.

Decentralised Identity

WikiDeal is evaluating decentralised identity systems (DIDs, verifiable credentials) as a mechanism for enabling trust between strangers without requiring a central identity database. A babysitter's qualifications, background check results, and reputation history could be held by the babysitter themselves, presented to families on demand, and verified by the platform without the platform storing the underlying data. This research is ongoing through the WikiDeal Living Labs programme.