Note: This page is curated by the Steering Action Group and the Evangelism Action Group

 

This is a proposed Charter for the DataPortability Project based on the Identity Commons charter template. More background is below on this page with links to their site.

 

The following charter provides guidelines for DataPortability discussion and goals.

 

Name

DataPortability Project

Purpose

The purpose of this project is to put existing data portability technologies, techniques, policies and initiatives in context in order to facilitate translation, education, advocacy and ultimately implementation. Portability is defined as both physically moving data or simply porting the context in which the data is used.

Principles

Each Identity Commons working group inherits the general IC Purpose and Principles -- see Purpose And Principles. 

 

In addition, the following principles apply to the DataPortability Project in particular:

1. We want control over the profiles, relationships, content and media we create and maintain, regardless of what platform they are hosted on
   
   
2. We want open formats, APIs, protocols and policies for the data we control
   
   
3. We want to protect user rights and privacy
   
   
4. We will recommend existing standards wherever possible rather than inventing new ones. We will work with the standards groups to extend them where this is needed for Data Portability. We will identify and help start standards where they are needed for Data Portability and none currently exist
    
5. We seek to come to consensus around a DataPortability Technical Blueprint and a DataPortability Policy Blueprint to put existing community standards and technologies into context and to recommend ways of using them.
   
   
6. We intend the Blueprints be as simple as possible while still being effective.
   
   
7. We intend to encourage wide spread adoption of open standards for data portability.
   
   
8. Our conversations are open and transparent - all groups are open for the public to view (and in most cases join). 
   
   
9. We work with existing groups and organizations who share our goals and values.
   
   
10. Data Portability is immensely important to many people, but there are also people with justifiable concerns. In order to find a simple, inter-operable solutions we want to encourage all smart, passionate and committed people to get involved. These people can be from all walks of life including engineers, vendors and bloggers/media.
    
    
11. Politics can stay at the door

Practices

 

These principles will be implemented by the DataPortability Action Groups.

Requirements of Participation and How to Join

All DataPortability Action Groups and the Public Discussion Group are open to the public to join.

Who selects Steering group members?

Membership is open to anyone who is interested.

  

Who selects Action Group Leaders?

Action Group leaders are self-selected. Those that contribute, take ownership of infinitives and help encourage conversation and documentation will, by default, earn a leadership role.

Licenses and/or Restrictions on Usage of Work Product

All Project products of the DataPortability Project, except open source code, are intended to be openly available to the public under an applicable Creative Commons license. 

 

Any open source code developed under the auspices of the working group will also be made available under OSI approved open source licenses.

Current Deliverables and Milestones

Each Action Group has its own Roadmap and Scope of Responsibilities. Overall, however, the DataPortability Project aims to answer a key set of questions.

Current Meeting Schedule

All discussion currently occurs in real-time on the forums.

Current Membership 

Membership is open to anyone who would like to join and add constructive input to the conversation.

Current Stewards Council Representative and Alternate

A chairperson will be nominated by the Steering Action Group

 

It should be noted that the 'representative' to the Identity Commons Stewards Council need  not be the 'same' person who is 'The Leader' of the Group. 

Current Links

Dataportability.org

 

Related Groups 

 

OpenID (charter) 

 

Higgins Project (charter) 

 

OSIS, Open Source Identity System (charter)

 

Enterprise Positioning

 

Project VRM (charter)

 

Data Sharing Summit  (charter)

 

 

Background

 

Identity Commons is a loosely connected community of people in working groups addressing the social, legal and technical issues that arise with the emerging identity layer of the internet. This is best expressed by the Identity Commons purpose statement:

 

The purpose of Identity Commons is to support, facilitate, and promote the creation of an open identity layer for the Internet -- one that maximizes control, convenience, and privacy for the individual while encouraging the development of healthy, interoperable communities.

 

By becoming members of Identity Commons, working groups agree to abide by the Working Group Agreement, which is based on a shared set of principles. This facilitates cooperation and interoperation while preserving the autonomy and integrity of each working group.

 

Identity Commons is open, inclusive, and bottoms-up. There are no fees or dues; it is entirely volunteer and donation-supported. We provide a minimal structure for supporting community activities, and we hold space for the entire community to collaborate. The only governance is a Stewards Council, consisting of a representative from each working group, and all the Stewards Council does is ensure that the Identity Commons "upside-down umbrella" is functioning to support the working groups.

 

Following is a draft proposed Data Portability charter based on the Working Group Charter Template.

 

Please look at the charters of other Working Groups to understand how some of them are working on aligned efforts.