ProfileCH

ProfileCH is a proposed standard for recording and exchanging the historical changes to user profile data across digital platforms. It aims to provide a portable, auditable log that captures who made a change, when it occurred, and how the data evolved, enabling users to verify, port, or restore their profile information across services while preserving data provenance.

Data model and format: The core unit is a change record with fields such as id, user_id, attribute, old_value, new_value, timestamp, actor, and optional rationale or source. Change records can be cryptographically signed to ensure integrity. ProfileCH supports encoding in JSON-LD or a compact binary form (such as CBOR) and transport over standard APIs, including REST or GraphQL, with optional offline exchange.

Governance and privacy: The standard is maintained by the Profiles Alliance, a collaborative body of platform operators, researchers, and policymakers. It specifies access controls, user consent, data minimization, and retention policies. Privacy safeguards include data redaction where allowed, encryption in transit and at rest, and mechanisms for user-initiated deletion or redaction of historical records within policy constraints.

Applications and status: ProfileCH is designed to facilitate cross-platform profile portability, identity verification, audit trails for moderation, and compliance with data-protection regimes. Adoption is at an early pilot stage, with several platforms participating in experimental exchanges. Limitations include potential privacy risks from broad change histories, data growth, and the need for interoperable trust assurances between parties.