BYOD – Bring Your Own Data. The struggle of re-using data in a world of heterogeneous systems

Authors: Tommaso Crepax

ABSTRACT

Data portability is often perceived as a solved problem, an aspect of digital life similar to transferring a phone number or syncing accounts across devices. However, this paper argues that the reality is far more complex—and fascinating. By rebranding data portability as the “Bring Your Own Data” (BYOD) phenomenon, this paper exposes the technical, legal, and economic challenges of making data transferable, functional, and meaningful across heterogeneous systems. Using analogies like organizing a BBQ, it analyses issues of syntax, semantics, and intensionality that encumber data exchange. The paper examines the evolution of EU regulations—GDPR, Digital Markets Act (DMA), and Data Act (DA)—and their varied approaches to data portability, from transmission to real-time access, revealing how legislative intents shift between empowering individuals and enabling market competition. It critiques the gaps in these frameworks, particularly in addressing the content and completeness of data, and explores the tensions between tight and loose integration strategies in fostering interoperability. Ultimately, this paper proposes that understanding data portability requires a multidisciplinary approach. It is not just about moving data, but about enabling control and usability in a fragmented digital ecosystem. The findings emphasize the need for thoughtful regulation and design to bridge the divide between legal ideals and technical realities, supporting a future where data flows freely and meaningfully across digital environments. 

Keywords: Data Portability – Data Heretogeneity – Information Intensionality – Digital Markets Act – Data Act

FULL TEXT: