why portability matters

Why portability matters...Why portability matters...Why we need to look beyondWhy we need to look beyond

03/10/08

OverviewOverview

● why is the BBC interested in portability

● what is portability

● many examples of good and bad practice

● where to look next

““Get web savvy or we die...”Get web savvy or we die...”

The user controlled revolutionThe user controlled revolution

http://www.flickr.com/photos/sinistergiraffee

The era of control has passedThe era of control has passed

http://www.flickr.com/photos/gadgettakesapicture/2240511988/

so we think...so we think...

Data Data portabilityportability

“As users, our identity, photos, videos and other forms of personal data should be discoverable by, and shared between our chosen (and trusted) tools or vendors.”

PrinciplesPrinciples

● We should have control over the profiles, relationships, content and media we create and maintain, regardless of what platform they are hosted on

● We should use open formats, APIs, protocols and policies for the data they control

● We want to protect their rights and privacy

● We should be recommending existing standards wherever possible rather than inventing new ones

Bill of rights for social usersBill of rights for social users

● We publicly assert that all users of the social web are entitled to certain fundamental rights, specifically:

● Ownership of their own personal information, including:

– their own profile data

– the list of people they are connected to

– the activity stream of content they create;

● Control of whether and how such personal information is shared with others; and

● Freedom to grant persistent access to their personal information to trusted external sites.

Notations of trustNotations of trust

Find your friends easilyFind your friends easily

Trust us with your passwordTrust us with your password

In other words phishingIn other words phishing

Permission based systemsPermission based systems

OpenID is permission basedOpenID is permission based

OpenID and OauthOpenID and Oauth

Facebook permissionsFacebook permissions

Identity is difficultIdentity is difficult

Cloud computingCloud computing

Amazon Web servicesAmazon Web services

Google servicesGoogle services

Live Mesh by MicrosoftLive Mesh by Microsoft

Ray Ozzie on Live MeshRay Ozzie on Live Mesh● Just imagine the possibilities enabled by centralized

configuration and personalization and remote control of all your devices from just about anywhere. Just imagine the convenience of unified data management, the transparent synchronization of files, folders, documents, and media. The bi-directional synchronization of arbitrary feeds of all kinds across your devices and the Web, a kind of universal file synch.

● http://seekingalpha.com/article/67370-microsoft-mesh-cloud-computing-for-the-masses

Cloud based terminals?Cloud based terminals?

Proprietary toolsProprietary tools

Service lock inService lock in

Trap in the cloudTrap in the cloud

● Richard Stallman, founder of the Free Software Foundation and creator of the computer operating system GNU, said that cloud computing was simply a trap aimed at forcing more people to buy into locked, proprietary systems that would cost them more and more over time.

● http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2008/sep/29/cloud.computing.richard.stallman

Cloud based thinkingCloud based thinking

Get satisfactionGet satisfaction

YammerYammer

BaseCampBaseCamp

Getting out of the cloudGetting out of the cloud

Transferring your contentTransferring your content

Transferring your contentTransferring your content

Forced account removalForced account removal

DowntimeDowntime

http://www.flickr.com/photos/henkc7/2654480651/

Server errorsServer errors

http://www.flickr.com/photos/silent_e/377757681/

www.isTwitterDown.comwww.isTwitterDown.com

http://www.flickr.com/photos/monstro/2718187284/

Relying on the networkRelying on the network

Yahoo! PipesYahoo! Pipes

Scraping dataScraping data

Licensing contentLicensing content

http://www.flickr.com/photos/peweck/423497311/

Who owns what?Who owns what?

Creative Commons licencesCreative Commons licences

Licences in applicationsLicences in applications

Other licencesOther licences

Facebook EulaFacebook Eula

“By posting User Content to any part of the Site, you automatically grant, and you represent and warrant that you have the right to grant, to the Company an irrevocable, perpetual, non-exclusive, transferable, fully paid, worldwide license (with the right to sublicense) to use, copy, publicly perform, publicly display, reformat, translate, excerpt (in whole or in part) and distribute such User Content for any purpose, commercial, advertising, or otherwise, on or in connection with the Site or the promotion thereof, to prepare derivative works of, or incorporate into other works, such User Content, and to grant and authorize sublicenses of the foregoing.”

Google Chrome EulaGoogle Chrome Eula

Old Google Chrome EulaOld Google Chrome Eula

11. Content licence from you

11.1 You retain copyright and any other rights that you already hold in Content that you submit, post or display on or through the Services. By submitting, posting or displaying the content, you give Google a perpetual, irrevocable, worldwide, royalty-free and non-exclusive licence to reproduce, adapt, modify, translate, publish, publicly perform, publicly display and distribute any Content that you submit, post or display on or through the Services. This licence is for the sole purpose of enabling Google to display, distribute and promote the Services and may be revoked for certain Services as defined in the Additional Terms of those Services.

New Google Chrome EulaNew Google Chrome Eula

11. Content license from you

11.1 You retain copyright and any other rights you already hold in Content which you submit, post or display on or through, the Services.

Open source loopholeOpen source loophole

It's worth noting that the EULA is largely unenforceable because the source code of Chrome is distributed under an open license. Users could simply download the source code, compile it themselves, and use it without having to agree to Google's EULA. The terms of the BSD license under which the source code is distributed are highly permissive and impose virtually no conditions or requirements on end users.

Participating openlyParticipating openly

http://www.flickr.com/photos/iconolith/145162224/

Open collaborationOpen collaboration

Sharing geological informationSharing geological information

Collaborative documentsCollaborative documents

Exporting collaborative worksExporting collaborative works

Careful collaborationCareful collaboration

PermanencyPermanency

Deep linkingDeep linking

Archived mediaArchived media

Perma-linked MediaPerma-linked Media

Deleting all traces of yourselfDeleting all traces of yourself

Another form of lock in?Another form of lock in?

Facebook overruledFacebook overruled● Facebook users were right to be concerned about the

original distinction between deactivation and deletion. While storing the data was legal - at least in the U.S.

● In Europe, it is possible that Facebook may have violated the law by deactivating, rather than deleting accounts. The UK Data Protection stipulates that companies should not retain data for longer than is necessary. And in January of this year, it was reported that Facebook was reportedly facing an investigation by the UK Information Commissioner's Office based on complaints from users who say their profiles were not properly deleted.

● http://writ.lp.findlaw.com/ramasastry/20080229.html

Facebook overruledFacebook overruled● In sum, users who think that simply removing their

Facebook profiles will protect their privacy should think again. Until Facebook changes other rules, serious privacy risks will persist on the site.

Time to get web savvyTime to get web savvy

http://www.flickr.com/photos/gadgettakesapicture/2240511988/

● dataportability.com

● autonomo.us

● futureoftheinternet.org

● cyber.law.harvard.edu/projectvrm/Main_Page

● opensocialweb.org

● diso-project.org

● sioc-project.org

● microformats.org/wiki/social-network-portability

Thank you, any questions?Thank you, any questions?

http://www.flickr.com/photos/dogseat/436402348/

http://www.cubicgarden.com

Ian Forrester - ian.forrester@bbc.co.ukPresentation : CC BY-NC-SA