Glossary
Data Portability
Data portability is the ability to export your data from a service in a standard, machine-readable format and take it elsewhere. Under GDPR it's a legal right; in practice, it's the difference between owning your data and renting access to it.
Why it matters more than it seems
Every service eventually changes, raises prices, or shuts down — Pocket's 2025 shutdown deleted user data after a three-month export window. Portability is insurance you must buy before the emergency: an export in CSV, JSON, or Markdown outlives any provider.
Reddit saves and portability
Reddit offers a GDPR data request (a list of your saved post IDs) but no usable everyday export. Dedicated tools fill the gap — Readdit Later exports saves to nine formats precisely so your library is never trapped, including in Reddit's own 1,000-item window.