Google to Liberate User Data, Improve Data Portability

Data portability on the web is a problem. Want to leave Facebook? No sweat, just delete your account. Want to leave Facebook and keep all of your friends, photos, and wallposts? You’re out of luck. Google to the rescue!

Google has revealed a Data Liberation Taskforce*, who are working to allow users to export their data from Google. Their mission:

Users own the data they store in any of Google’s products. Our team’s goal is to give users greater control by making it easier for them to move data in and out.

WebMonkey reprots:

The name might be a bit of a joke, but the idea is not. The Data Liberation Front wants to make it easier for you to get your data out of Google services and take it wherever you please. In other words, Google wants you to use their services because you like them, not because you’re trapped in them.

As Google’s Data Liberation team manager Brian Fitzpatrick writes, “imagine you want to move out of your apartment. When you ask your landlord about the terms of your lease, he says that you are free to leave at any time; however, you cannot take all of your things with you — not your photos, your keepsakes, or your clothing.”

Although the group’s work is nascent, soon you’ll be able to batch export from Google Docs, which is a good first step in data portability.

* The name is a joke from a Monty Python skit.