The data flowing through an API belongs to the people and organizations it describes, not to whoever happens to be storing it. I believe APIs should make it genuinely possible for consumers to export their data, in standard formats, and take it elsewhere. Respecting data ownership and portability is how an API operation shows it understands who it actually serves. I feel strongly about data portability because so much of the politics of APIs comes down to who controls the exits and who owns the data. When a provider builds real export and migration capabilities, it is making a clear statement about trust and respect. Those are exactly the operations that earn long-term loyalty.
APIs Support Data Portability and Ownership
Policies
Data Portability Provided
Require that consumers can export their data from an API in a portable, standard format without friction or penalty. The data flowing through an API belongs to the people and organizations it descr...
API Exit and Migration Path
Require that an API documents a clear path for consumers to migrate onto, between, or off of it without being stranded. Lock-in by design erodes trust, so an honest operation makes leaving possible...
Data Ownership Respected
Require that an API respects the ownership of the data it handles, treating consumer and end-user data as belonging to them rather than to whoever stores it. Ownership shapes what a provider may do...
Experiences
Portability
Portability is the experience of being able to take your data, your integrations, and your business somewhere else if you need to. An API that supports data export, standard formats, and clear migr...
Privacy
Privacy is the experience of handling the personal data that flows through APIs responsibly. APIs move sensitive information constantly, and the people that data belongs to have a stake in how it i...
Trust
Establish trust with API consumers will evolve and build over time, and is something that can be lost in a very short period of time. Trust will depend on other experiences like quality and reliabi...
