Problems With Existing Services

The current generation of centralised collaboration services exhibit a number of problems:

Tool lock-in - allow only approved tools or services to add and manipulate the user's data. Indeed many actively enforce manual-only registration.
Data lock-in - no interoperable means to export or bulk copy the data previously entered by the user. Users resort to rekeying when migrating away from a particular system.
Claim rights over personal data - often asserting these rights are conveyed in perpetuity. These claims lock out a significant segment of potential users, particularly those in the corporate space.
Hard to withdraw - provide no facility to erase data when the user withdraws from the service
Lack of consistent privacy control - offer differing degrees of control over the type and quantity of personal information that is exposed publicly.