Imagine having your own online storage, which you control. You store information once and decide who can access what, when you need services like mortgage applications or medical care.

This is what Solid can do. It’s a bit like carrying all your data in a rucksack (backpack) with lots of pockets. To access the data, different apps can only open the pocket you allow them to open, rather than taking the whole rucksack. The rest stays private.

Solid lets people take control of their data and combine it to achieve new results. It gives creators new collaborative tools while passing power back to users. It’s technology that returns the web to its original vision of serving people.

How does it work?

Solid is a file system for the Web - in the same way that you can store a PDF on your laptop and then choose to read or edit it using Adobe Acrobat, Chrome, or one of a dozen other applications; Solid lets you put documents into an online file system where you have control over which people, applications, and AI agents can read and edit them.

Users have personal online data stores called Pods. Solid applications can read and write documents directly from your Pod. You choose which applications to use with your data rather than being locked into specific platforms.

Data

Your data remains yours even when you change providers or try new services, applications or AI agents.

As artificial intelligence becomes central to digital services, Solid ensures people maintain control over their data while benefiting from intelligent applications.

AI agents can read and write your documents to provide personalised services while respecting your privacy preferences.

You decide which AI systems can learn from your information and for what purposes.

Interoperable standards

All data in a Solid Pod is stored and accessed using standard, open, and interoperable data formats and protocols.

We are investing in the open-source software that provides the foundation for many parts of the Solid ecosystem. Open source means that the code is publicly available and free for anyone to use, adapt, or contribute to.

We’re not just building better software - we’re laying the foundation for a digital future that puts human agency at its centre, encouraging the collaboration and creativity that represent the web’s most significant potential.