Facebook is moving its UK users out from under the strict privacy protections of the European Union, Reuters reports. Users of the social media site, and of Instagram and WhatsApp, will have to sign a terms of service agreement in the coming months with Facebook’s headquarters in California, instead of its European branch based in the Republic of Ireland. Moving the user agreements to the US means that UK users will no longer be covered by data policies crafted to adhere to the EU’s stringent privacy regime.

The change takes effect next year and follows a similar move announced in February by Google. Those companies and others have European head offices in Dublin, and the UK’s exit from the EU will change relationship  with Facebook’s Irish unit and out of reach of Europe’s privacy laws.

This change is similar to the one Google made  earlier this year. It’s meant to avoid a situation where UK citizens are no longer citizens of the European Union, but have agreements based in an EU country, where Facebook is subject to the EU’s data protection laws.

Like other companies, 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. There will be no change to the privacy controls or the services Facebook offers to people in the UK,” the company’s UK arm said.

Some UK privacy advocates are concerned the UK could eventually weaken its privacy laws once it’s outside the EU.

There’s also the matter of bargaining as  UK will no longer be included in the EU’s trade agreements, the country will have to start making their own — and privacy advocates are worried about what protections the US may ask to be given up in negotiations.

Facebook’s UK branch told Reuters that “there will be no change to the privacy controls or the services Facebook offers to people in the UK,” but users of Facebook, WhatsApp, and Instagram will have to re-agree to the terms and conditions again, which Facebook will ask them to do sometime in the next six months.

Source- The Guardian

Country- U.K