On the stage of TEDxPatras 2017, Bart Preneel talks about the "smart" technologies and the "Big Data" revolution. He refers to the advantages of these technologies (optimization and personalization), but also to the moments when smart "algorithms" start analyzing all this data to create profiles and make decisions about us. Sounds cool, doesn't it? But let's think for a moment about the consequences: Who has access to this data? Who makes the decisions? And based on which data? What if we disagree with them? Do we like being watched all the time? Are we still in control of our own data and our lives once we enter a smart city? These technological trends towards centralization are presented as an inevitable development. In this talk, Bart explains that it is possible to re-think the way we develop the digital society and keep data local, with users themselves in control. Not only does this give us more privacy, but we also get more robust systems. We can make this happen through a smart combination of grass-root support and innovative technologies.