Facebook launches a photo portability tool

Facebook is releasing a new tool today that will allow its users to transfer photos directly to Google Photos. The tool is being released initially in Ireland and will be available worldwide in the first half of 2020.

"For almost a decade, we've enabled people todownload their information from Facebook," explains Steve Satterfield, directorof privacy and public policy at Facebook. "The photo transfer tool we'restarting to roll out today is based on code developed through our participationin the open-source Data Transfer Project."

This Data Transfer Project also includes participantssuch as Apple, Google, Microsoft, Twitter, and others. Facebook says it'sstarting with Google Photos initially, but other services could be included inthe future. Facebook is testing the tool in Ireland, and it will refine itbased on feedback from users.

This tool will be useful for Google Photos usersthat don't automatically backup pictures from their phones. If you're aFacebook and Google Photos user who does backup photos, then it's likely thatmost photos posted to the social network are already backed up on Google'sservice.