Facebook removes 1.5 billion users from protection of EU privacy law

Facebook has quietly altered its terms of service, making stricter Irish data protection laws no longer binding on the vast majority of its users. Now, Facebook’s headquarters in California will be responsible for processing any relevant legal claims, and American law will be binding for those outside the European Union.

Previously, CEO Mark Zuckerberg had said Facebook would implement new EU rules "everywhere." While Facebook may claim that it is offering EU-style control globally, removing this provision in its own terms of service suggests that the company is trying to mitigate its potential legal liability. Prior to the change, Facebook users not only in the European Union, but worldwide—outside of the United States and Canada—were subject to Irish laws as they had signed a contract with Facebook Ireland Limited. Irish data laws will now only apply strictly to EU users. By eliminating the link to Irish data-protection law, Facebook is removing 1.5 billion users from the EU's new General Data Protection Regulation, which goes into effect next month.