Initiative should facilitate moving data between online services

Google, Facebook, Microsoft and Twitter on Friday announced an open source initiative called the Data Transfer Project, which aims to make it easier for users of their services to move data from one service to another.

The companies present the project on a dedicated website and provide additional details in a white paper. It was stated there that the aim of the initiative is to allow people to switch shifts without having to download their data first and then upload it again. The data is therefore immediately forwarded. According to the companies, the benefits include less network traffic for users to move files, fewer problems with incompatible formats and it should be easier to figure out where to go with their data. An example is moving photos.

In addition to existing APIs, the participating parties make use of data models in which it is determined how data can be exchanged. In addition, there are so-called adapters, which ensure that the different formats are converted into a usable format for exchange. Currently, there are adapters not only for the four companies but also for Smugmug and Flickr, according to the project’s GitHub page. The provider integration guide can also be found there, with which new participants can join the project.

The project, which was started in 2017 according to the participating companies, is currently still under development. The timing of the project is striking, as the announcement comes shortly after the entry into force of the General Data Protection Regulation. This includes a right to data portability, which gives citizens the right to request their data from a service with the aim of moving it to another service. In addition, it must be possible to have the data immediately forwarded to another party, insofar as this is technically possible. It appears that the current project meets this latter requirement, although there is no direct reference to the GDPR anywhere.