Data portability

Data portability is a concept to protect users from having their data stored in "silos" or "walled gardens" that are incompatible with one another, i.e. closed platforms, thus subjecting them to lock-in. Data portability requires common technical standards to facilitate the transfer from one data controller to another, thus promoting interoperability.

In a mixed economy there are capitalist incentives that motivate businesses to guard their respective assets. Governments allow businesses to protect such assets via limited-term Intellectual Property Rights. Even so, it often remains an ongoing task for public agencies to help overcome the urge of businesses, in this case acting as data controllers, to guard their pools of data on their customers, known as personal data or personally identifiable information too zealously. In the interest of promoting exchanges of data that would be beneficial to general welfare, in many cases considered consumer protection, the following related activities have been introduced by public-minded actors in the European Union and Switzerland.

The right to data portability was laid down in the European Union's General Data Protection Regulation GDPR passed in April 2016. The Regulation will apply to data processors in countries outside the EU as well under certain circumstances. "Controllers must make the data available in a structured, commonly used, machine-readable and interoperable format that allows the individual to transfer the data to another controller." Earlier the European Data Protection Supervisor had stated that data portability could "let individuals benefit from the value created by the use of their personal data".

The European-level Article 29 Data Protection Working Party held a consultation on this in English lasting until the end of January 2017.

Their Guidelines and FAQ on the right to Data Portability contain this call for action:

As of April 2017 new guidelines have been published here.

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