Google has announced that they are going to move data and user account information of its British users from the EU to the US.

This places the data they hold on British users outside of the currently strong privacy protection laws and regulations offered by the European Union.

Whilst Google plans on keeping their EU headquarters in Ireland, they have made this move because it's currently unclear on whether the UK government will keep the European GDPR or adopt other rules which could affect the way that data is handled and stored.

By moving the data to the US it means that the data will be within easier reach of British law enforcement agencies thanks to the US Cloud Act.

Google has been issuing new terms and conditions on all of its products to make people aware of the new plans.

Google has made a very clear statement regarding this move of data.

“Nothing about our services or our approach to privacy will change, including how we collect or process data, and how we respond to law enforcement demands for users’ information...The protections of the UK GDPR will still apply to these users.”

You can read more about this change in data storage with The Guardian here.

Published: 24th Feb 2020

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