Google’s Efforts to Simplify Migration of Search and YouTube Data

Google is simplifying the process of backing up and transferring personal data between third-party services following an investigation by Italy’s AGCM competition watchdog related to GDPR.

In a press release, the AGCM stated that Google’s commitments will automate data export procedures, improve interoperability mechanisms, and make Google ecosystem data accessible to third-party platforms.

Google has made three commitments to address the investigation, focusing on enhancing Google Takeout and introducing a direct data portability solution for authorized third-party operators, specifically for user-generated data from Google’s search engine and YouTube.

According to 9to5Google, the third commitment appears to build on Google’s work within the Data Transfer Initiative, which supports direct data transfer between online platforms. The initiative has already created a service-to-service transfer tool in 2020 for Facebook users to transfer photos and videos to Google Photos.

Google Takeout currently allows users to export YouTube videos, search history, and comments for backup and export to third-party services. The new “direct service-to-service portability solution” will make the process faster and easier for users and third-party operators. Google plans to launch this capability in the first quarter of 2024, with a testing period for third-party providers prior to the official release.

The AGCM investigation was prompted by a complaint from Italian data export startup Hoda, which accused Google of impeding users from sharing data with other digital platforms. With the agreements now binding, the investigation has been closed.