Four of the world’s biggest technology companies have launched a joint project that could make it easier for users to sever ties with their services, amid growing concerns over privacy and the misuse of personal data.

Google, Facebook, Microsoft and Twitter announced a new initiative on Friday, called the Data Transfer Project (DTP), designed to be a new way to move data between platforms.

In theory, this means a user could quickly transfer their Facebook photos to a service such as Flickr, making it easier for them to quit the social network altogether without losing their images or contacts.

The initiative comes after Facebook and other social media giants have faced a mounting chorus of criticism over privacy concerns.

Facebook said: "People increasingly want to be able to move their data among different kinds of services like these, but they expect that the companies that help them do that will also protect their data."

While most firms already let users copy their data, it can be a tedious process that involves downloading everything and then manually uploading those files again.

DTP isn’t ready for use yet, but the group has released a white paper outlining its vision. If the initiative comes to fruition, it could force firms to compete based purely on the quality of the services they offer rather than maintaining users because they have locked-in their data.