In a tech world obsessed with clicks, likes, and extraction, Preska Thomas is asking a different question: What if digital data was a personal economy—and everyone got a cut?
It’s the kind of question that doesn’t just disrupt—it detonates. And it’s the foundation of DebitMyData, the startup Thomas quietly built while much of Silicon Valley was still busy gamifying attention and repackaging surveillance as convenience.
But DebitMyData isn’t chasing viral growth. It’s chasing structural change.
“This isn’t about monetizing another app,” Thomas says. “This is about shifting the power dynamic that’s been invisible for far too long. We’ve become products in someone else’s system. Now we become the platform.”
At its core, DebitMyData is a user-owned data marketplace—a place where individuals decide if, how, and when their digital behaviors are shared. But it’s also something bigger: a rethinking of how value is defined in the information age. Users can license their data to brands, participate in controlled exchanges, and earn real compensation—with full transparency and zero hidden tracking.
From Infrastructure to Impact
Unlike many tech founders, Thomas didn’t build DebitMyData on buzzwords. She built it on infrastructure thinking. With a 30+ year background in crisis strategy, digital systems, and influence management, she understands the backend of power: what makes systems scalable, secure, and most importantly—human-proof.
But she’s not interested in resting on credentials. She’s more focused on what comes next: a tech future built on ethics and equity, where blockchain, AI, and cybersecurity aren’t just tools for companies, but protections for individuals.
“People are tired of being mined. They’re ready to be included,” Thomas explains. “Ownership changes everything. When you own something—even your data—you treat it differently. You invest in it. You protect it. And it starts working for you, not just for advertisers.”
Rethinking the Relationship Between People and Platforms
DebitMyData is built on the belief that digital presence is a form of currency. Not metaphorically—but literally. Your browsing, your preferences, your patterns, your insights—they all carry weight in the modern economy. The problem? Until now, that value has only been accessed by corporations.
DebitMyData flips that script. The platform offers users a clean, transparent dashboard to track what data is collected, who it’s shared with, and how much revenue it generates. It even lets users set boundaries—allowing participation in some markets, blocking others, or opting out entirely.
Thomas calls this the “ethical monetization layer”—a way to bring human-centered design into a space that’s historically been driven by profit, not consent.
And it’s not just about individual earnings. She sees it as the first step in a much larger shift—one where data equity becomes a civil right, and platforms can no longer succeed without offering value back to the user.
Leading With Both Vision and Precision
Preska Thomas is the kind of founder who doesn’t dominate headlines—but dominates boardrooms. Quiet, thoughtful, and deeply technical, she’s part systems architect, part strategist, and part rebel.
Her background might span decades and disciplines, but DebitMyData is her most personal project to date. It combines everything she knows—machine learning, behavioral systems, data security, neural networks—with something tech often forgets: dignity.
Fast Company asked Thomas what’s next after DebitMyData. Her answer is both ambitious and razor-focused:
“We’re not trying to win the race. We’re redesigning the track.”
DebitMyData is still in its early phases, but already it’s attracting attention from digital rights advocates, ethical investors, and creators looking for new ways to own their value. The team is scaling carefully, prioritizing trust, security, and longevity over hype.
Because for Preska Thomas, this isn’t just a product launch. It’s a paradigm shift.
And if she has her way, we’ll look back on the era of data exploitation the same way we now view oil spills and land grabs—as outdated, unsustainable, and no longer acceptable.