Here’s a link to all the previous ‘idea dump’ posts on this blog:
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Web-snooping bill could trigger powerful new tools
The UK government’s plans to surveil every person in the country with unprecedented powers over email and web traffic are astonishing.
But, it might not all be bad news.
This move could be the catalyst for a whole new market of software: software which allows normal people to protect their privacy online.
A simple, easy to use email encryption plugin, or a consumer-friendly version of Tor are possible and could find a huge new market: everyone in the UK.
Tools like PGP and Tor are powerful but hard for the ‘normal’ user to understand, install and use. In the same way that it’s always been possible to use rsync to back up your computer – Dropbox made it simple.
Such a privacy product could be made to allow regular, non-technical people to protect their personal data online.
If you’re looking for an idea to start a web business around, maybe personal privacy is a good place to start.
Idea dump #5
From time to time I come up with ideas which, for whatever reason, I can’t work on right now.
Rather than jealously guarding these ideas, I’m going to post them here in regular bursts, in case someone out there wants to run with them.
Most importantly, sharing your ideas triggers something unexpected: it forces you to come up with new ones.
AutoMarket – grocery shopping, rebooted.
Grocery shopping is a pain. Do it in real life and it’s a nightmare. Doing your shopping online is way more convenient, but once you’re using one supermarket website there’s a large ‘cost of switching’ to set everything up again on a rival site.
AutoMarket would be a managed, clever household grocery service – a layer on top of all the supermarket sites.
From learning your basket and learning the similarities between types of products, it could aggregate your shop over multiple retailers, taking advantage of special offers and delivery discounts, to give you the best possible price.
You could tap items on a tablet to say they’re used and AutoMarket would learn the general frequency of purchases and plan ahead for you. ‘Fire and forget’ shopping.
Revenue could come from retailers vying to be listed and offering promotions.
Peer-to-peer Insurance Exchange
Take on the world of insurance and make it fair, simple and equitable. This would be a platform for matching investors (insurers) with consumers (policyholders). The system could spread risk at both ends of the market.
Revenue could be substantial from just a tiny % of all transactions through the platform – plus the market would find the fairest price possible for customers.