EU Urged to Let Users Take Social Networks
More than 35 social app builders want a right to move their social networks when switching platforms ahead of the Digital Fairness Act.
Updated on Nov. 3, 2026 in Internet
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More than 35 social app builders, including Eurosky co-lead Sherif Elsayed-Ali and Robin Berjon of the IPFS Project, signed a joint statement urging the European Commission to create a right for users to take their social networks with them. The signatories say existing data downloads offered by mainstream platforms are not useful.
Why it matters
The signatories argue that being unable to leave a social app without losing your network is a consumer harm akin to deceptive design. Their proposal would extend interoperability requirements beyond the Digital Markets Act, which does not cover all leading social media platforms.
More than 35 social app builders signed the joint statement, which is a stakeholder position rather than measured usage data. Whether the Digital Fairness Act will extend interoperability rules to all platforms remains unresolved.
The players
Sherif Elsayed-Ali
Sherif Elsayed-Ali is co-lead of Eurosky, an alternative social network that signed the joint statement urging EU action on social network portability.
Robin Berjon
Robin Berjon is affiliated with the IPFS Project, an open-source decentralised content network that signed the joint statement.
The details
The signatories propose applying a personal data server requirement to every social media account and extending interoperability rules to every platform through the Digital Fairness Act. X's ban on account matching features falls outside the EU's current enforcement scope.
Timeline
The Commission is scheduled to present the Digital Fairness Act on 11 November 2026, with the Unfair Commercial Practices Directive widely expected to be tweaked alongside it.
Big Picture
The proposal extends the interoperability logic of the Digital Markets Act, which applies to Big Tech, to a broader set of social platforms through the forthcoming Digital Fairness Act. It would close the gap left by a law that does not cover all leading social media services.
If adopted, a portability right would let users move their social connections when switching apps rather than starting over. Until then, mainstream platforms' existing data downloads remain limited in practical use.
The takeaway
Social network portability is a live policy debate, so readers who value switching freedom should watch how the Digital Fairness Act treats interoperability for all social platforms.
What happens next
The European Commission is scheduled to present the Digital Fairness Act on 11 November 2026, the point at which the proposed social network portability rules could be addressed.
Further reading
Explore more in our Internet coverage for context on how online platforms and user data are governed.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Euractiv DE.
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Should social media companies let you take your friends and posts when you switch apps?
