The right to data portability refers to an individual’s right to obtain and reuse their personal data for their own purposes.
You have the right to obtain your personal data in a format that is accessible and easy to read by machines, such as a CSV file.
This means that individuals should have the freedom to move, copy, or transfer their personal data easily from one organization to another.
This right is part of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) in the European Union (EU).
To exercise your Right to Data Portability #
This right is similar to your right of access, but there are some differences. Specifically, the right only applies to data that:
- is held electronically, and
- you have provided to the organization.
Data you have provided does not just mean the information you have typed in, such as a username or email address. It may include data the organization has gathered from monitoring your activities when you have used a device or service. This may include:
- website or search usage history
- traffic and location data, or
- ‘raw’ data processed by connected objects such as smart meters and wearable devices. An example of this could be data recorded on a fitness app.
