Microsoft, Google, Facebook, and Twitter are launching a new project to enable seamless transfer of data across platforms. The tech giants today launched the Data Transfer Project, or DTP for short, in an effort to make users’ data portable.

The DTP involves making use of existing APIs and authorization mechanisms to build a system whereby users can simply take data from one platform to another without having to manually do it themselves. So for example, if you are moving your photos from Microsoft OneDrive to Google Photos, instead of having to spend hours downloading the pictures from OneDrive and then upload them to Google Photos, you could simply use of the DTP tech to transfer them without all the hassle.

“Users should be in control of their data on the web, part of this is the ability to move their data. Currently, users can download a copy of their data from most services, but that is only half the battle in terms of moving their data. DTP aims to make move data between providers significantly easier for users,” the DTP project website mentions. The companies have released a whitepaper detailing the technicalities behind the project, and the open-source project is also available through GitHub for interested developers to look into.

DTP would make things significantly better not only for users but also for the developers building the world’s leading platforms. Just imagine being able to transfer your biometric data or location history from a service like Google Maps to Foursquare, or your Microsoft Account. Or better yet, imagine being able to move your music from Apple Music to Spotify without going through the hassle of doing things manually. For the companies involved — DTP makes it so they don’t have to gather all your data manually, and they can instantly get access to your existing data that can be used to provide a more personalised service, for example. That is, of course, if your privacy isn’t being violated.

Either way, the project isn’t ready for the public yet — but the proposition is insanely clever, and something which should’ve existed for years.

Tagged with Data Transfer Project, DTP, Facebook, Google, Microsoft, Twitter