Data Portability (Article 20)
Right to receive data in a machine-readable form
TL;DR
Art. 20 GDPR applies to automated processing based on consent or contract. Format: JSON, CSV, XML — structured and machine-readable.
What is Data Portability (Article 20)?
Practical examples: switching bank accounts with an account statement export, exporting Spotify playlists, Google data via Takeout.
Practical example
A customer switches CRM provider and requests a data export: all of their own data in CSV. The controller must supply it within 1 month.
Frequently asked questions
Which format?
Structured and commonly used — JSON, CSV, XML. No PDFs, no proprietary formats.
Direct transmission?
Where technically feasible: yes (for example via an API). Not reasonable where systems are incompatible.
See also
Practitioner note: This article is practice-oriented compliance documentation, not legal advice. We are compliance specialists, not a law firm. For legally binding advice, consult an admitted lawyer.