Facebook says it supports data portability; a proposed law would force it

A bill in the U.S. Senate would create a social media law allowing you to control your data -- similar to a law they have in Europe. It would force Facebook to allow you to take all of your data to a competitor.

Privacy expert Paul Bischoff at Comparitech.com says users would be able to dump Facebook without worry.

"If Facebook does something they don't like it would be much easier for them to move their data somewhere else. The second thing is it includes privacy for these people because it gives them more control over who has access to their data."

Under the proposed law, if you got fed up with Facebook you could take all of your personal information and pictures to a competitor without worrying about Facebook continuing to sell it to advertisers and others.

Will it pass? Bischoff says that's the direction the wind is blowing.

"There's a lot of antitrust sentiment going toward Facebook and Google right now, so I think it's definitely trending that way as far as regulation goes."

But is there a Facebook competitor? Bischoff says they'll emerge.

"People used to say the same sort of thing about Myspace and look at where that's gotten it. I wouldn't say anybody is unseatable at this point."

Facebook has said it supports the idea of making your data portable, but isn't known to have actually made any move to do so.


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