It is always said that legislation is one step behind social needs. By the very way laws are created, this is true. But although slowly, many times we see how companies end up running into new regulations that harm their day-to-day life … while improving that of their users.
This is what is currently happening with Facebook in Europe and that is that the Irish government, the country in which Mark Zuckerberg’s company is based in the old continent, has confirmed that it will force Facebook to keep the data of its European users from of the continent.
Making the transfer of data from the US to the US illegal
One of the biggest changes in European legislation in recent years has been the implementation of the GPRD, which seeks to protect the personal data of citizens.
Thus, Facebook could not use its tools to transfer information from European citizens to the United States. One of the heads of the company on our continent, Yvonne Cunnane, data protection officer at Facebook’s subsidiary in Ireland, commented that “We do not see a way, in these circumstances, to continue to offer the services of Facebook and Instagram in Europe.»
Facebook and Instagram, but not WhatsApp
As you can see, it mentions its two most powerful apps but excludes WhatsApp. The reason is that the communication in this app is encrypted and Facebook does not make profitable the data of its users in the same way that it does with the other two apps.
WhatsApp forces you to confirm that you are 16 years old, but it is a useless measureThe new WhatsApp update forces you to confirm that you are 16 or older, but it is a measure that will not help.
It seems clear that Facebook’s statements are a subtle threat to regulators, but it seems unlikely that a company like this would decide to voluntarily abandon the world’s most lucrative market, with more than 740 million inhabitants.
Let’s hope that Europe does not give in to these statements, especially when a few years ago it accused Facebook of lying in the purchase of WhatsApp.
The Facebook entry threatens to leave Spain and the rest of the European markets appear first in El Androide Libre.
