The internet has evolved. No longer are there a few ‘big boys’ doing all the cool stuff you like to play/purchase online, the new development tools are now cheaper and give you an opportunity to build sites that were too expensive 5 years ago. The growing concern is that the data you create and input into a website is now so easily moved around the web via API’s/RSS. What rights do you and the website have on this data? The DataPortability is one project that is trying to bridge that gap.
In plain english, the DataPortability Project is a way to generate a policy document of what you (the website user) can create, add and take away from your (website owner’s) site. Also what the site can do with the information the user provides. Here is a basic example of a DataPortability policy document:
The generator on the DataPortability site allows you create a basic document and then add additional information.
Its a good step towards data tranparency. Its a project thats evolving and growing. It has ways you can get involved for developers and public. But its up to us to decide whether to embrace it.
More info
TechCrunch blog on DataPortability Project – http://techcrunch.com/2010/06/23/data-portability-policy/