There Brexit would give room for maneuver to Google to steal the accounts of its users residing in the UK to the regulations imposed by GDPR European Union to ensure the protection of citizens' personal data. As is known, the EU regulation on the processing of personal data and privacy aims to restore citizens' control of their personal data, simplifying the regulatory context concerning international affairs and preventing indiscriminate access to data from abroad.
If Google moved British account management to USA would enjoy one jurisdiction much less severe than that of the old continent in terms of privacy. Among the economically advanced nations, the United States is the only one without a comprehensive privacy and data processing law, despite years of battles by consumer protection groups.
Reuters learned the information from three unspecified sources who are familiar with Google's plans. This is not a final decision and Google has not yet released an official position on the information leak. Should this change materialize, UK authorities may face difficulties in accessing data when needed for investigative purposes. This is a very complex question on a technical level, even more difficult to interpret in the absence of commercial agreements between London and Washington, as well as between London and Brussels, still being defined after the implementation of Brexit.
It must be considered, in fact, that Google holds its European headquarters in Ireland, a member of the European Union where the GDPR is in force. With Brexit, it is not clear whether the United Kingdom will continue to adhere to the GDPR or whether to adopt other rules on the processing of personal data. Until this doubt is resolved, Google appears to be intent on removing its British users from Irish jurisdiction, according to Reuters reports.
Lea KissnerGoogle's former leader in privacy technologies told Reuters that it would be surprised if Mountain view decide to leave control over British user accounts to an EU country with the UK no longer a member. "There are many rumors that the British government is considering abandoning the GDPR, and at that point it would make little sense for Google to leave the accounts under Dublin jurisdiction." are Kissner's words. "Do not underestimate the willingness of technology companies to never find themselves harnessed between the regulations of two different governments".
Google today has a multitude of data on almost all people on the planet, which it uses to personalize services and forward advertising messages based on user behavior habits. Of course not just a problem for Google, given that other technology companies, in the coming months, will find themselves in a position to make similar decisions. Facebook, for example, has not yet commented on it.
