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Facebook to move UK users to California terms, avoiding EU privacy rules

reuters.com

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Re: Facebook to move UK users to California terms, avoiding EU privacy rules

#31

Post by MonAlternatiu »

Hokusai wrote: post #3

Tech companies, or any company for that matter, will do what is best for themselves. Regulations exist to protect consumers and other companies from accusative behaviors. Remove the regulation and the 'we care for your privacy' message disappears with it. Because they never cared for your privacy, they will just doing what was mandatory.

> and the 'we care for your privacy' message disappears with it

I don't think so. The actions behind the words will disappear for sure, but not the message itself

Re: Facebook to move UK users to California terms, avoiding EU privacy rules

#32

Post by jfengel »

niklasrde wrote: post #7

"Facebook’s UK users will remain subject to UK privacy law, which for now tracks the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)" - so, what changes for users?

It sounds like what changes for users is that UK law will drift from EU law, and so Facebook wants to mediate that through its US office rather than its Irish office. It will still have to follow UK law, but not have to pass it through the EU as well.

FB and Ireland are already fighting over privacy, and the US and UK are negotiating new terms. That may result in changes to UK privacy laws, which FB will be able to take advantage of.

Re: Facebook to move UK users to California terms, avoiding EU privacy rules

#34

Post by Silhouette »

tobylane wrote: post #21
jonplackett wrote: post #16

I thought the plan was that on Brexit all existing EU laws would become UK law, until we decide the change them. Did that not happen in the end?

EU directives such as GDPR come into power by being localised and enacted, ie made into UK law. The data protection act 2018 will cover us up until it’s reversed, which is what some of us fear.

FYI, that's not quite correct. The EU makes laws in several ways. A directive is, as you said, a measure that individual member states then incorporate into their own national law to give it legal weight. But the GDPR is, as its name suggests, a regulation, which means it carries legal weight immediately and in its own right across the entire EU.

The UK's position is strange because of Brexit, but it seems the practical position of all recent governments has been that existing EU laws should be transposed into UK national laws where necessary and with the required changes to make sense, until such time as our national authorities might decide to deviate from them. Primary legislation has already been made to that effect. The big question is what "that effect" actually is, given the huge volume of legislation affected and the potential ambiguity in what changes are required for any given law of EU origin to continue to make sense in a post-Brexit UK.

Re: Facebook to move UK users to California terms, avoiding EU privacy rules

#36

Post by mikem170 »

chrisseaton wrote: post #4
Hokusai wrote: post #3

Tech companies, or any company for that matter, will do what is best for themselves. Regulations exist to protect consumers and other companies from accusative behaviors. Remove the regulation and the 'we care for your privacy' message disappears with it. Because they never cared for your privacy, they will just doing what was mandatory.

> Regulations exist to protect consumers and other companies from accusative behaviors. I think this is possibly a bit naive. Regulations also exist to protect powerful people's businesses, to push personal agendas, and to further political aims even if those are not actually in the interests of any consumers. Also sometimes people think they're making a regulation to protect consumers, but actually it makes things w…

Agreed. I'd add that most regulations are designed by career politicians and corporate lobbyists. It's too bad the people aren't empowered to design these regulations amongst ourselves.

Re: Facebook to move UK users to California terms, avoiding EU privacy rules

#37

Post by _jal »

Hokusai wrote: post #3

Tech companies, or any company for that matter, will do what is best for themselves. Regulations exist to protect consumers and other companies from accusative behaviors. Remove the regulation and the 'we care for your privacy' message disappears with it. Because they never cared for your privacy, they will just doing what was mandatory.

> Regulations exist to protect consumers and other companies from accusative behaviors.

This is what people want to believe.

But I think you'll find that regulations exist for a large number of reasons, some of which seem noble and others much less so. Frequently, they exist to provide disproportionate protections and perks to the connected.

Re: Facebook to move UK users to California terms, avoiding EU privacy rules

#39

Post by breakingcups »

niklasrde wrote: post #7

"Facebook’s UK users will remain subject to UK privacy law, which for now tracks the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)" - so, what changes for users?

Cynical me is thinking Facebook might do this now to rip the band-aid off before the UK privacy law actually gets repealed, because this shift to California terms would be much bigger news if it happened as a result of the privacy laws actually being repealed.

Now Facebook can still easily, with a somewhat straight face, say that this is purely necessitated by Brexit legalities while in reality they're just prepping for the repeal.

Re: Facebook to move UK users to California terms, avoiding EU privacy rules

#40

Post by dmitriid »

KukiAirani wrote: post #29

Personally, I think the GDPR cookie notifications have severely degraded the user experience of the web. I also think it's become just another "Terms and Conditions" - something that people reflexively accept because they want to get on with using a product. Future regulations with teeth, but don't exist yet, are things like: - Data portability: I should be able to export my entire Facebook account in full in a stand…

> Personally, I think the GDPR cookie notifications have severely degraded the user experience of the web.

The absolute vast majority of cookie banners are actually illegal under GDPR. One downside of GDPR isn't the banners, it's inaction by EU authorities which should've cracked down on these practices long ago.

1. Cookies essential for the functionality of your website (such as session cookies) don't need consent, and are explicitly allowed (you need to have an easily accessible clear-text explanation of what they do)

2. Pre-selected boxes do not constitute consent

3. You must provide a simple "opt out of all and proceed" button

4. You are not allowed to degrade functionality if user has opted out of non-essential cookies

5. You are not allowed to load any non-essential cookies before consent is given

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