A Solid Research Infrastructure Leveraging DMA Data Portability

LK Seiling, Jake ML Stein, Simon Mayer, Luka Bekavac

Keywords: Solid Pods, Digital Markets Act, data portability, personal data spaces

TL;DR: We propose a Solid-based university network using DMA Art. 6(9) to port gatekeeper data to user pods, enabling secure, consent-based cross-institutional research with fine-grained controls & standardized schemas.

Abstract:

Article 6(9) of the EU’s Digital Markets Act (DMA) grants users the right to port their data from gatekeeper platforms to authorized third parties. We propose a multi-institution Solid-based research infrastructure in which universities act as such authorized third parties, storing platform data in user-owned Solid pods. Rather than aggregating data into centralized repositories, this model preserves user-level ownership and fine-grained access control, enabling consent-based , cross-institutional research within a decentralized architecture. The
proposed infrastructure addresses a key implementation gap in DMA portability: the absence of standardized receiving environments and interoperable schemas. The standardisation of incoming platform data and the associated schema extraction could additionally facilitate broader usage beyond academic fields of application. While gatekeeper vetting procedures, export format heterogeneity and enforcement uncertainties pose practical challenges, a university consortium offers institutional credibility and governance safeguards. Beyond academic research, such an infrastructure may contribute to broader interoperability and portability ecosystems under EU data regulation, creating a convergence point for DMA, DSA, and GDPR-based access mechanisms

Submission Number: 8