Design Features for Data Trustee Selection in Data Spaces

As the world becomes increasingly digital, data is becoming a critical resource. When used effectively, it can lead to more accurate forecasts, process optimization, and the creation of innovative business models. The necessary data is often distributed across multiple organizations, and its full value can only be realized through shared collaboration. Data spaces provide organizations with a platform for sovereign and secure data sharing. To enable legally secure data sharing and ensure compliance with regulations, data trustees play a critical role as trusted intermediaries. However, choosing a suitable data trustee that meets the needs of the participants who want to share data with each other is difficult. Our study seeks to elucidate the process by which participants of a data space can choose an appropriate data trustee. To this purpose, we have implemented a whitelist approach. We report on the results of our design science research project, which includes design features to facilitate the integration of our whitelist approach into different data space instantiations. Potential shortcomings were identified and addressed during an expert workshop. By providing verified design knowledge, we help practitioners in the data space community to incorporate the concept of how to select the most appropriate data trustee.