Abstract: The present invention provides a market for empowering users to control what personal information is collected, who can access the personal information, and how it can be used, as well as to monetize their data. In one implementation, the market (600) includes users (602), buyers (604), and patrons (606) who interact via a market platform (608) and a data trust (610). The users (602) are the individuals or entities who own or control the personal or sensitive data. The buyers (604) are generally companies or organizations that are willing to pay for certain data or insights. They can access data from the marketplace for a fee. Patrons (606) are companies or other persons or entities that sponsor data collection. The market (608) lists available data and pricing. It serves as a store front for buyers (604) and patrons (606). The data trust (610) aggregates data from the users (602) and presents data insights to the buyers (604).