Live data from Hacker News

Google plans to move UK users' accounts outside EU jurisdiction

reuters.com

61–70 of 85 posts

Re: Google plans to move UK users' accounts outside EU jurisdiction

#61
post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

GDPR compliance is expensive; every account not in the regime saves Google costs.

I can tell you that two FAANGs implement GDPR compliance for everyone because they didn’t want to risk getting a user’s EU status wrong.

That certainly has been how I've seen it play out. Which makes sense as easier to have one rule to fit all and if that rule is based upon the worst case of every countries data laws then you are somewhat more future proofed. After all, not many countries do laws than are demanding their citizens have less privacy - at least in the public sector remit of laws.

Re: Google plans to move UK users' accounts outside EU jurisdiction

#62

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

In what way is it early? UK left the European Union late last year. Since then there only is a temporary agreement in place, with a deadline later this year. Given the seemingly strength of the Prime Minister (see recent cabinet reshuffling) and his unwillingness to extend companies doing business in Britain have to prepare.

February 1st was officially the "first day" out.

Re: Google plans to move UK users' accounts outside EU jurisdiction

#63

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.

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.

That certainly is an outcome. Equally does add more credence to the Google move as if the data was in the EU, then the potential to kick up a fuss and roll out laws to insist it is in the UK would play out faster than say that data in the USA.

Equally - I'd say costs may well play out more and what is the cost to host in Ireland compared to hosting in the USA?

Even when we are talking pennies/cents in difference - at the scale of Google - that soon adds up and if they can, they will.

Re: Google plans to move UK users' accounts outside EU jurisdiction

#64

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 eati…

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.

Re: Google plans to move UK users' accounts outside EU jurisdiction

#65
post #56
post #34

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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…

The recent Huawei 5G drama does seem to go against the grain of this. After all, if the UK had less power to push back, then clearly nobody has told them.

not sure this is all due to self-agency. China has also threatened them over Huawei. the UK is really between a rock and a hard place

Re: Google plans to move UK users' accounts outside EU jurisdiction

#66

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That sounds really interesting. Would you mind sharing a resource to learn more about how the UK spies on US citizens?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UKUSA_Agreement

Although if you look at the actual text on the UKUSA agreement document HW 80/2 [1], rather than the short synopsis from Wikipedia, it says very clearly that the UKUSA agreement covers only sharing of "foreign communications" where footnote 3 on page explicitly excludes communications of both the UK and the USA.

1. https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C1153691...

Re: Google plans to move UK users' accounts outside EU jurisdiction

#67
post #64

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 eati…

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.

This has nothing to do with the actual location of the servers holding the data. Which would not be a single location anyway.

Re: Google plans to move UK users' accounts outside EU jurisdiction

#69

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 eati…

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."

Re: Google plans to move UK users' accounts outside EU jurisdiction

#70

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Linkedin for sure, I used to work there so I can vouch for it.

That's not a FAANG though.

FAANG is just a buzzword acronym, a hook to pull in investors.

LinkedIn is Microsoft, which should also be included given it's scale. It should be FAMANG.

Post reply on HN