Google, Facebook, Microsoft and Twitter unite to simplify data transfers

Four of the biggest technology companies are banding together to make it easier for users to download and transfer their data between services. Google, Microsoft, Facebook and Twitter formally announced The Data Transfer Project (DTP) today, an open-source initiative to create new tools that "enable people to freely move their information across the web," Damien Kieran, Data Protection Officer at Twitter explained. It's early days, but the group has published a white paper that details its vision for an easier, more flexible "data portability ecosystem." The group says it wants an open dialogue with developers and users alike moving forward.

At its core, the DTP uses a series of "adapters" that can unravel propriety APIs into easily understandable data packets. In practice, this means a user could transfer their Instagram photos to Flickr, or Google Photos, without having to mass-download and upload their library. When it's finalized, the system should cover all types of data including email, contacts, calendars and tasks. Data types will also have sub-categories, called Data Models, to address specific services and features. Music, for instance, could be broken down into Models for playlists and music videos too.

The challenge for Facebook, Microsoft, Google and Twitter, of course, will be getting everyone to adopt and maintain the most popular Data Models.

The DTP is still in development and not available to the wider public. There are, however, a couple of GitHub-hosted methods that curious engineers can try out right now. The end-goal is to get companies outside of the current contributors to embrace the new system. That way, users will have true flexibility over the services they use and the amount of data each one holds. You might have all your running data on Strava, for instance, and suddenly discover a new app with a superior service. Or decide that actually, you would prefer to do all of your social network activity on Google+.

The announcement follows the introduction of GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) in the EU. The legislation provides a number of additional protections for European citizens, including a requirement that all companies provide tools for downloading user data. The DTP is meant for everyone -- not just the EU -- but has likely been accelerated because of the new regulations. "This will take time but we are very excited to work with innovators and passionate people from other companies to ensure we are putting you first," Kieran added. "Fundamentally this is about pushing towards a more open and dynamic internet."

Source: Data Transfer Project



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