Mapping data portability initiatives, opportunities and challenges

Abstract

Data portability has become an essential tool for enhancing access to and sharing of data across digital services and platforms. This report explores to what extent data portability can empower users (natural and legal persons) to play a more active role in the re-use of their data across digital services and platforms. It also examines how data portability can help increase interoperability and data flows and thus enhance competition and innovation by reducing switching costs and lock-in effects.The report was drafted by Christian Reimsbach-Kounatze, Andras Molnar, Suguru Iwaya, and Elettra Ronchi (all from the OECD Secretariat). Lauren Bourke and Holly Ritson contributed to earlier drafts of this report. The report was prepared under the aegis of the OECD Committee for Digital Economy Policy (CDEP), with input from delegates of the Working Party on Data Governance and Privacy in the Digital Economy. Delegates to the DGP and CDEP provided valuable feedback. The report builds upon three expert workshops and a survey of business practices. The support of the Danish Business Authority is gratefully acknowledged. This paper was approved and declassified by written procedure by the Committee on Digital Economy Policy (CDEP) on 1 October 2021 and prepared for publication by the OECD Secretariat.

Emerging privacy-enhancing technologies

“…(Janssen et al, 2020[60]) And the health sector has also expanded use of distributed analytics solutions for secure and privacy-protective use of health data for both public-and private-sector research. These include the EU Health Data and Evidence Network project, the European Medicines Agency Darwin project and the global Observational and Health Data Sciences and Informatics project (OECD, 2022 [61]) .…”

Responding to societal challenges with data

“…It could also inform design and delivery of better policies and services and, where feasible and appropriate, automate decision making using algorithms to process these data at scale. At the same time, building blocks and tools such as digital identity and citizens' folders can help empower individuals by allowing them to know how data are handled within government, for what purpose and by whom (OECD, 2021 [51]).…”

“…As discussed in the OECD Good Practice Principles for Data Ethics in the Public Sector, issues around data ethics sit on a broad spectrum. This ranges from how data are generated, their disaggregation and granularity (so they are representative of all population groups and "no one is hidden in the data") to how the data are selected, managed and governed when informing development of AI systems (OECD, 2021 [51]).…”

Data in an evolving technological landscape

“…Notably, such discussions intersect with emerging discussions related to access to data generated by the use of connected devices by consumers and businesses. Measures enabling the portability of some kinds of personal data are increasingly commonplace across the OECD (OECD, 2021 [68]; OECD, 2021 [69]). However, the standards and requirements for access to non-personal industrial data derived from users are less clear.…”