A bipartisan group of senators has introduced a bill that would allow users to take their data and use it on other platforms. The ACCESS Act of which was introduced by Mark Warner (D) of Virginia, Richard Blumenthal (D) of Connecticut, and Josh Hawley (R) of Missouri would apply to platforms that have over 100 million monthly active users. Under this bill, companies would be required to facilitate interoperability and if users are unhappy, they can choose another company to manage their account settings, content, and online interactions. The promotion of data portability comes in a time where users have become the main source of manipulation for social media platform revenue. Data portability brings power back to the consumer for which they can choose where and how their data is used. The downside of this bill is that it will need a counterpart in the House of Representatives which it will need to become a law. Moving forward, it is critical to see an increase in portability and interoperability on the platform so more competitors can offer users different alternatives. Different alternatives can include features such as fewer advertisements and greater privacy.
Source: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-tech-antitrust-congress-idUSKBN1X112C