Google plans to move UK users' accounts outside EU jurisdiction

[jtylr]

Previously posted and discussed here: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22370405

[three_seagrass]

Duplicate: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22370405

[bananamerica]

I’m sorry, am I on Stack Exchange?

[ckastner]

The optics of this might look bad, but I cannot really fault Google for this move (and I frequently fault Google).

They're facing a dilemma of regulatory uncertainty, and this move resolves this dilemma for them (at least, they seem to believe that).

Anyone who has ever dealt with powerful regulatory agencies will probably agree that this resolution is the right move for the company, a move important enough that eating some bad PR is probably totally worth it.

(The point about powerful regulatory agencies is not that it's hard to stay compliant; it's that the costs, overhead, bureaucracy etc. of demonstrating this compliance is immense, even if you are doing everything 100% right.)

[rconti]

Pro-Brexiteers have often cited stronger bilateral ties, such as those with the US, as an advantage of Brexit. And of course, post-Brexit, Britain will be ever more reliant on the willingness of countries such as the US to cut deals with them. As an independent negotiator in these new deals, Britain will have less power to push back over silly things like data privacy; and as a member of Five Eyes anyway, they're all too happy to have the US do their spying on their behalf, just like the US likes Britain spying on US citizens to the US Government's benefit.

[NotSammyHagar]

It's not good for the users. Having less control over your privacy and your data is extremely unlikely to be better for the users. Probably less control and regulation is going to be better for Google.

[Zenst]

Might be down to costs.

How much does hosting per account in Ireland compare to USA hosting?

Even if a few pennies/cents, at google's scale - that makes business sense and if they can, they will.

[duxup]

Seems very much a case of "Man we don't know what the rules are / will be and this seems like the best choice at the moment."

[rwmj]

It is real. I just got an email about this from Google about my gmail account:

- Your service provider and data controller is now Google LLC: Because the UK is leaving the EU, we’ve updated our Terms so that a United States-based company, Google LLC, is now your service provider instead of Google Ireland Limited. Google LLC will also become the data controller responsible for your information and complying with applicable privacy laws. We’re making similar changes to the Terms of Service for YouTube, YouTube Paid Services and Google Play. These changes to our Terms and privacy policy don’t affect your privacy settings or the way that we treat your information (see the privacy policy [link redacted] for details). As a reminder, you can always visit your Google Account < https://myaccount.google.com > to review your privacy settings and manage how your data is used.

[nightcracker]

> These changes to our Terms and privacy policy don’t affect your privacy settings or the way that we treat your information.

This is such a blatant lie what the hell. The only reason for this move is specifically to treat your information in ways that are not legal now.

[Symbiote]

It seems very early to be making changes like this.

Google must really benefit somehow from the change, otherwise they could leave it until much later in the year, and see what (if any) changes Parliament makes to privacy and data protection law in the UK.

[throwaheyy]

I wonder if that means that since they're moving their customers therefore revenue to the US, they will pay taxes there too, instead of Ireland.

Probably not though. Flags of convenience is the Google way.

[projectramo]

I imagine a future where the workers are on the Irish side of the border but the servers are on the UK side of the border.

One still enjoys the tax advantages of the value being added on the Irish side, but also the relatively lax data requirements on the British side.

I am not pro or con anything, just pointing out the arb.

[anticensor]

Britain already adopted GDPR-based data protection law. If anything, Brexit will tighten the situation by requiring the data of British to stay in Britain.

[rolltiide]

Goals. I like our role models. I would have never independently perceived most of these opportunities and possibilities. Thank you Google and other multinationals, and the media for dissecting their expensive legal strategies.

[i287n]

Does anyknow what happens if I move out of the UK to rEU? Will my account now be considered to be an EU account or will it always be a UK one?

[bananamerica]

Thanks, Brexit!

[s_dev]

I would imagine N.Irish users might end up being covered by GDPR -- British law also N.Irish people to declare themselves Irish under the GFA. N.Ireland could well end up with a special status post-Brexit where it's both in and out of the EU and in and out of the UK.

Given European data protection is much stronger than either British or American DP it would make sense to group N.Irish people this way rather than trying to deal with the exceptions.

[supergarfield]

> British law also N.Irish people to declare themselves Irish under the GFA

This by itself doesn't mean anything for GDPR—GDPR applies to EU residents (whether or not they are EU citizens), not EU citizens. Declaring yourself Irish doesn't make you fall under GDPR protection if you live outside the EU.

[ptah]

i think the stronger data protection would prevail for NI

[topbanana]

Why would that be necessary?

[pmlnr]

I don't completely understand what gives them the right to do so - legislation are still in place, GDPR & the rest are included.

[addedlovely]

Not sure why you are being down voted for this - we ratified GDPR under UK law, the UK Data Protection act of 2018 - until that law is repealed GPDR still applies under my understanding.

[rcMgD2BwE72F]

GDPR only applies to EU residents, doesn't it?

[throwaway237654]

The UK is planning to leave the EU, so Google is planning to treat UK accounts as not part of the EU. I don't see what is difficult to understand about this.