Derry innovator Sean Carlin has developed what experts are calling the next major step in digital sovereignty, a breakthrough that allows users to operate online with complete privacy, described as the ‘third pillar of the internet.’

Working alongside Magee Ulster University’s Prof. Kevin Curran, Sean has created a new internet architecture based on a radical premise: “Memory is not a feature of secure systems, it's a liability,” said Sean and Kevin in their research paper.

Instead of relying on large firewalls that can eventually be breached, Sean’s architecture, known as “The Mist,” ensures that data never exists on the server in the first place.

The server functions only as a temporary relay, wiping its RAM and disk instantly. Data that doesn’t exist cannot be hacked, leaked, subpoenaed, or used to train AI models.

placeholder image — Sean Carlin and Roseanne Carlin.

The first application of this architecture, called The Stateless Pattern, has already been used to facilitate large, secure Bitcoin transactions. The platform is free for public use, with corporate clients paying for customised integration.

Sean believes the technology has the potential for global impact.

Explaining the concept in simple terms, he told the Journal: “This is how I think about it: Imagine everyone is at a playground that’s the internet. Then an adult hands you a big see‑through bag of sweets. You want to give some to a friend, but everyone can see what you have. That’s the internet we’ve lived with for 30 years.

“The pillar I’m talking about now is private coordination. In the playground scenario, it’s like pressing a button that inflates a dollhouse. You and your friend go inside, lock the door, share the sweets, then leave, and the dollhouse deflates. No one knows what happened inside. It preserves your privacy.”

Sean Carlin winning the Outstanding Cybersecurity Start-up of the Year at the NI Cyber Community Awards, May 2026.

Putting it another way, Sean said, his work is like the right to whisper across the internet with no record of it left behind.

Although the third pillar took five months to build, Sean says his motivation was simple: to create something good for the internet, with human rights at its core.

“There are so many areas where privacy must be protected,” he said. “One is financial.”

But the applications extend far beyond finance. The Stateless Pattern could be used for medical records, whistleblowing, or any situation where sensitive information must remain confidential, he said.

“Private information should not be leaked,” Sean said. “It has so many profound implications. Privacy does not mean criminality. For the first time in the digital world, we will be free. It’s about digital sovereignty.”

Sean credits his Derry roots for shaping his passion for privacy, recalling how physical assembly was restricted during the Troubles. His third pillar, he says, enables free digital assembly, safely and privately.

“I’m trying to make sure everyone has their rights respected.”

The Stateless Pattern is now on track for worldwide rollout.

Reflecting on the scale of his achievement, Sean admitted: “I feel proud. I feel loads of emotions, to be honest. I feel terrified. I feel profound.”

He emphasised that the technology was built with the intention to protect human rights and preserve privacy.

You can read the full research paper here: https://arxiv.org/abs/2601.17875