Facebook, Google, Microsoft, and Twitter will now let you transfer data between their services
Some of the tech giants have partnered up to allow easier information sharing between their platforms.
The news: In news originating from the Data Transfer Project, which was founded last year, large sites including Facebook, Google, Microsoft, Instagram, Flickr, and Twitter will now be able to use information already uploaded on one service to populate the same user’s account on another platform. The new tools can grab and translate information from the different services’ proprietary APIs (aka tools or protocols within the software).
What it means for you: Instead of uploading photos, events, contacts, or other personal information to a slew of websites, you will now be able to automatically access it on other platforms—no reuploading required. So if you’ve uploaded your favorite picture to Instagram, you can easily share it to your Flickr account, too.
Why do this? While it is about making things easier for users, it’s also related to GDPR compliance. The new EU regulation requires companies to allow users to easily transport their data between different services.
What’s next: The project is looking for additional partners and is working to streamline the data transfer process even further.
Keep Reading
Most Popular
Geoffrey Hinton tells us why he’s now scared of the tech he helped build
“I have suddenly switched my views on whether these things are going to be more intelligent than us.”
ChatGPT is going to change education, not destroy it
The narrative around cheating students doesn’t tell the whole story. Meet the teachers who think generative AI could actually make learning better.
Meet the people who use Notion to plan their whole lives
The workplace tool’s appeal extends far beyond organizing work projects. Many users find it’s just as useful for managing their free time.
Learning to code isn’t enough
Historically, learn-to-code efforts have provided opportunities for the few, but new efforts are aiming to be inclusive.
Stay connected
Get the latest updates from
MIT Technology Review
Discover special offers, top stories, upcoming events, and more.