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Facebook UK users will lose EU privacy protections in 2021. (JPI Media) Facebook will switch all United Kingdom account holders into user agreements with the firm s corporate headquarters in California, steering them clear of EU privacy laws. The current relationship with Facebook s Irish unit will end next year as the UK leaves the European Union (EU) at the end of the Brexit transition period. Facebook has said that the move will not change the privacy controls of UK users, or the services they are offered. Changes after Brexit UK users are currently governed by agreements with Facebook’s headquarters in Dublin, Ireland, but the legal relationship will change after the Brexit transition period comes to an end at the end of this year.
Facebook to Avoid EU Privacy Laws By Moving UK Users to US Agreements
Social media giant Facebook says in a statement that it will shift all of its UK users to US agreements, putting them out of reach of Europe s privacy laws that could potentially fine the company billions of dollars. Facebook has had to make changes to respond to Brexit and will be transferring legal responsibilities and obligations for UK users from Facebook Ireland to Facebook Inc, Facebook exclusively told Reuters.
However, Facebook did confirm that there will be no change to the privacy controls over its UK customers. Agreements with Facebook s Irish unit currently shield the giant tech company, and the change will undergo anytime soon next year. During the first half of 2021, Facebook will notify users about the small change in its terms and conditions agreements.
Immediately after Brexit, the UK will carry on tracking the EU s General Data Protection Regulation, one of the most stringent data-protection laws in the world, but it is expected, over time, to diverge. Data privacy activists in the UK fear that Facebook may pressure the US government into forcing Britain to accept US data laws in any future trade deal which could be negotiated after Brexit. Some also worry that UK Facebook users could more easily be subject to surveillance by US intelligence agencies or data requests from law enforcement.
“The bigger the company, the more personal data they hold, the more they are likely to be subject to surveillance duties or requirements to hand over data to the US government,” said Jim Killock, executive director of the UK organisation, Open Rights Group.
Facebook UK users will lose EU privacy protections in 2021. (JPI Media) Facebook will switch all United Kingdom account holders into user agreements with the firm s corporate headquarters in California, steering them clear of EU privacy laws. The current relationship with Facebook s Irish unit will end next year as the UK leaves the European Union (EU) at the end of the Brexit transition period. Facebook has said that the move will not change the privacy controls of UK users, or the services they are offered. Changes after Brexit UK users are currently governed by agreements with Facebook’s headquarters in Dublin, Ireland, but the legal relationship will change after the Brexit transition period comes to an end at the end of this year.