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    “Code Is Law” for IoT Data Sharing: Technical Architecture as Sovereign Enforcer in Commercial Data Sharing Platforms


    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.

    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

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