Data Debit

The standard approach is for applications to have access to a single designated namespace. It is however possible to have data access to other unrelated namespaces. This can be achieved through a domain-specific data debit mechanism. By default, all applications have read-and-write access to the namespace specified upon creation but if for example, the application needs to read users' Facebook posts, then a data debit will have to be created by the application developer and be accepted by the users.

For example, the Notables application has a data debit to fetch and display the PDA profile information.

Data debit confirmation process is incorporated into the application's Permission Contract request and agreement screen that details which application can access what data. Users have to agree in order for the application or Data Plug to function as intended.

The more general process of creating a Data Debit is:

• Propose a Data Debit specification to a PDS

• The server owner sees the Data Debit as a pending request, reviews and approves it by confirming it or rejects it.

Dataswift's platform will log the contract and the Data Debit becomes enabled.

The general process of getting the values from a Data Debit is:

• Request Data Debit values from the PDS

• Optional: If any changes are required to the Data Debit request, submit a request to update it

Data debit proposal

The first step in retrieving private data from a PDA is to submit a Data Debit request – POST /api/v2.6/data-debit/$dataDebitKey. Where dataDebitKey can be any valid URL path, however it needs to be unique on the PDS. The request will fail otherwise.

The general schema of a Data Debit is:

{
    "bundle": "[DataBundle]",
    "conditions": "Optional[DataBundle]",
    "dataDebitKey": "[String]",
    "purpose": "[String]",
    "period": "[Int]",
    "termsUrl": "[String]",
    "cancelAtPeriodEnd": "[Boolean]",
    "requestClientName": "[String]",
    "requestClientUrl": "[String]",
    "requestClientLogoUrl": "[String]",
    "requestClientCallbackUrl": "Optional[String]",
    "requestApplicationId": "Optional[String]",
    "requestDescription": "Optional[String]",
    "start": "[String]"
}

Parameter	Type	Meaning
dataDebitKey	URL Path	ID of the Data Debit – any valid URL path
conditions	Data Bundle Object	Optional Data Bundle specification – covered in a separate guide
bundle	Data Bundle Object	Data Bundle specification – covered in a separate guide
start	ISO8601 Date	When data sharing should start
period	Int	The period that the Data Debit will be active. Value in seconds.
purpose	String	The purpose of the Data Debit. Description of what it does and why it is needed.
cancelAtPeriodEnd	Boolean	A value indicating if the Data Debit will continue after the specified period elapses
termsUrl	URL	A URL for the terms and conditions for that URL
requestClientName	String	The name of the company that created the Data Debit
requestClientUrl	URL	Company's website URL
requestClientLogoUrl	URL	Company's logo URL
requestClientCallbackUrl	URL	A callback url to be notified for new events
requestApplicationId	URL	Application id of the app requesting the Data Debit
requestDescription	URL	A description that accompanies the Data Debit request

As a concrete example, the below request asks for user profile together with location data.

{
    "bundle": {
        "name": "testbundlename",
        "bundle": {
            "profile": {
                "endpoints": [
                    {
                        "endpoint": "rumpel/profile"
                    }
                ],
                "limit": 1
            }
        }
    },
    "dataDebitKey": "testdatadebitkey",
    "purpose": "This is description of what the data debit is for",
    "period": 3600,
    "termsUrl": "termsurl",
    "cancelAtPeriodEnd": false,
    "requestClientName": "Data Debit Creator Name",
    "requestClientUrl": "https://data-debit-creator-website",
    "requestClientLogoUrl": "https://data-debit-creator-logo-url",
    "requestApplicationId": "applicationId",
    "requestDescription": "A short introduction for what the data debit is",
    "start": "2019-11-06T14:40:44.267Z"
}

If your request is valid and hence accepted by the PDA, the response will be 201 CREATED status, with the full specification of the data debit in the request body. Please note that both the Data Debit ID and the Bundle name must be unique – Data Debit key identifies the relationship between the user and an application, while the Bundle name identifies the specific data being exchanged. The request will fail otherwise.

Approve Data Debit

An application developer is not authorised to approve data debits, this is managed using an API call: GET /api/v2.6/data-debit/$dataDebitKey/enable. Where $dataDebitKey can be any valid URL path; however it needs to be unique on the PDA, and $bundleName can be any valid name. Specifically, it requires both the Data Debit key and the bundle name to be set to accurately identify the data that is being shared.

{
    "dataDebitKey": "testdatadebitkey",
    "dateCreated": "2019-11-06T14:43:36+0000",
    "permissions": [
        {
            "dateCreated": "2019-11-06T14:43:40+0000",
            "purpose": "This is a new description of what the data debit is for",
            "start": "2019-04-02T09:32:47.000Z",
            "period": 360000,
            "cancelAtPeriodEnd": false,
            "termsUrl": "https://newtermsUrl.com",
            "bundle": {
                "name": "testbundlename",
                "bundle": {
                    "profile": {
                        "endpoints": [
                            {
                                "endpoint": "rumpel/profile"
                            }
                        ],
                        "limit": 1
                    }
                }
            },
            "accepted": true,
            "active": true,
            "end": null
        }
    ],
    "requestClientName": "Data Debit Creator Name",
    "requestClientUrl": "https://data-debit-creator-website",
    "requestClientLogoUrl": "https://data-debit-creator-logo-url",
    "requestApplicationId": "applicationId",
    "requestDescription": "A short introduction for what the data debit is",
    "active": true,
    "accepted": true,
    "start": "2019-11-06T14:40:44.267Z",
    "end": null,
    "permissionsActive": {
        "dateCreated": "2019-11-06T14:45:53+0000",
        "purpose": "This is a new description of what the data debit is for",
        "start": "2019-11-06T14:40:44.267Z",
        "period": 360000,
        "cancelAtPeriodEnd": false,
        "termsUrl": "https://newtermsUrl.com",
        "bundle": {
            "name": "testbundlename",
            "bundle": {
                "profile": {
                    "endpoints": [
                        {
                            "endpoint": "rumpel/profile"
                        }
                    ],
                    "limit": 1
                }
            }
        },
        "accepted": true,
        "active": true,
        "end": null
    },
    "permissionsLatest": {
        "dateCreated": "2019-11-06T14:45:53+0000",
        "purpose": "This is a new description of what the data debit is for",
        "start": "2019-11-06T14:40:44.267Z",
        "period": 360000,
        "cancelAtPeriodEnd": false,
        "termsUrl": "https://newtermsUrl.com",
        "bundle": {
            "name": "testbundlename",
            "bundle": {
                "profile": {
                    "endpoints": [
                        {
                            "endpoint": "rumpel/profile"
                        }
                    ],
                    "limit": 1
                }
            }
        },
        "accepted": true,
        "active": true,
        "end": null
    }
}

Request Data Debit Values

Once a Data Debit has been both proposed and approved by the PDA owner, it is achieved with a simple GET /api/v2.6/data-debit/$dataDebitKey/values request. Where $dataDebitKey can be any valid URL path; however it needs to be unique on the PDA.

If the data debit is enabled, the response is exactly the same as if you were using Data Bundles directly:

{
  "bundle": {
    "profile": [
      {
        "endpoint": "rumpel/profile",
        "recordId": "9b136020-372a-4777-81f9-2c4ce6925aea",
        "data": {
          "profile": {
            "website": {
              "link": "https://example.com",
              "private": "false"
            },
            "nick": {
              "private": "true",
              "name": ""
            },
            "primary_email": {
              "value": "[e-mail]",
              "private": "false"
            }
          }
        }
      }
    ]
  }
}

If, on the other hand, you try to request data from a Data Debit that has not been enabled, you will receive an error:

{
  "message": "Bad Request",
  "cause": "Data Debit testdatadebitkey not enabled"
}

That's it! You have now successfully received data from a PDA owner using a Data Debit agreement.

Update data debit

Data requirements may change over time. It may be required to update an existing Data Debit. There are two solutions to this problem:

1. Request a new Data Debit with the updated requirements

2. Update an existing Data Debit

Updating an existing data debit has the benefit of building on an existing relationship with the PDA owner: they see the scope of your request increasing, however they will recognise your application as one they have already agreed to share data with. The request for updating an existing data debit is: PUT /api/v2.6/data-debit/$dataDebitKey. Where $dataDebitKey can be any valid URL path, however it needs to be unique on the PDS.

The example below requests 10 recent profile records, up from 1 in the previous example:

{
    "bundle": {
        "name": "testbundlename",
        "bundle": {
            "profile": {
                "endpoints": [
                    {
                        "endpoint": "rumpel/profile"
                    }
                ],
                "limit": 10
            }
    },
    "dataDebitKey": "testdatadebitkey",
    "purpose": "This is a new description of what the data debit is for",
    "period": 360000,
    "termsUrl": "https://newtermsUrl.com",
    "cancelAtPeriodEnd": true,
    "requestClientName": "Data Debit Creator Name",
    "requestClientUrl": "https://data-debit-creator-website",
    "requestClientLogoUrl": "https://data-debit-creator-logo-url",
    "requestApplicationId": "applicationRequestingDataDebitID",
    "requestDescription": "A short new introduction for what the data debit is",
    "start": "2019-11-06T14:40:44.267Z"
    }
}