Following Brexit, the social media giant Meta Platforms Inc. will begin moving its UK customers from its Irish subsidiary to US agreements. Meta, based in Menlo Park, California, said in a statement that the terms of service for UK Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp users will be updated soon. The UK users will be notified in the coming weeks.
According to Meta, its operations in the UK are still subject to UK privacy and data protection laws when it initially announced the plans in 2020. Additionally, Meta said that the updates do not alter the manner in which the company treats user data. According to the statement, neither Meta nor its encrypted chat app WhatsApp’s data sharing is expanded by the new terms.
The updates will exempt UK users and the agreements they have with Meta from the jurisdiction of the European Union. Britain retained the General Data Protection Regulation, one of the most stringent privacy laws in the EU, even after it left the bloc. However, Britain’s data watchdog claims that the country now has the independence to keep the framework under review.
A Meta spokesperson said that they, have implemented changes in response to the UK’s decision to leave the European Union. Users in the United Kingdom are still protected by UK privacy and data protection laws, according to Meta Spokeswoman. They are not altering the operation of their products, and the updates to their terms and privacy policies do not alter how they handle the data of UK users.
From April 25, 2023 for Meta, and April 27, 2023, for WhatsApp, the US entities of the social media giant will be accountable for complying with UK data laws.
