Berisha, Fjolla, Da Silva, Leidiane, Mooney, Peter, Pourzolfaghar, Zohreh and Helfert, Markus (2025) “Code Is Law” for IoT Data Sharing: Technical Architecture as Sovereign Enforcer in Commercial Data Sharing Platforms. 2025 Cyber Research Conference - Ireland (Cyber-RCI). pp. 1-7.
Preview
Available under License Creative Commons Attribution Non-commercial Share Alike.
Download (305kB) | Preview
Abstract
This paper examines how technical architecture
enables data sovereignty over shared data, in commercial
platforms, with a focus on the critical challenges posed by
Internet of Things (IoT) data flows. Analysing four EU-based
platforms (TomTom, Dawex, Skywise, Nallian) from the
European Commission's 2018 study on business data sharing,
we investigate how technical mechanisms operationalise
sovereignty where contractual governance faces limitations of
scale, speed, and complexity. Through cross-case analysis
applying Lawrence Lessig's "Code is Law" framework, we
identify distinct architectural enforcement patterns across the
platforms. TomTom's API-centric model achieves preemptive
control by terminating misuse in milliseconds, enabling real
time intervention. Dawex's blockchain-backed policy engine
enables dynamic governance, translating licensing terms into
executable cross-border constraints. Skywise's access silos
structurally contain data usage, making unintended reuse architecturally implausible through purpose-bound design.
Nallian's rights-granting engine delivers granular sovereignty, enabling field-level control. From these findings, we develop a four-mode Architectural Sovereignty
Framework, conceptualizing enforcement
mechanisms along two dimensions: timing (real-time vs. ex-post) and resolution (macro-level structural vs. micro-level granular). The framework identifies Preemptive, Adaptive, Structural, and Granular sovereignty as distinct modes through which code operationalises control in IoT data sharing contexts.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Keywords: | Data Sovereignty; Data Sharing; Case Study; IoT; Code is Law; |
| Academic Unit: | Faculty of Science & Engineering > Computer Science Faculty of Science & Engineering > Research Institutes > Hamilton Institute Faculty of Social Sciences > Research Institutes > Innovation Value Institute, IVI Faculty of Social Sciences > School of Business |
| Item ID: | 21978 |
| Identification Number: | 10.1109/CYBER-RCI68134.2025.11385217 |
| Depositing User: | IR Editor |
| Date Deposited: | 09 Oct 2026 11:13 |
| Journal or Publication Title: | 2025 Cyber Research Conference - Ireland (Cyber-RCI) |
| Publisher: | IEEE |
| Refereed: | Yes |
| Related URLs: | |
| Use Licence: | This item is available under a Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial Share Alike Licence (CC BY-NC-SA). Details of this licence are available here |
Downloads
Downloads per month over past year
Share and Export
Share and Export