Google’s decision to move all UK Data to the US

Google will be moving all UK user data to data centres in the United States from the 31st March 2020

Ricci Wilding, Smartdesc’s Information Governance and Security Officer, shares some key facts you need to know;   

On March 31st 2020, Google Ireland will transfer ALL UK user data over to Google LLC (Their US company). All UK users will automatically be opted in. to this transfer of data from the UK to the US.  The move will include all personal mailboxes, personal information associated with Google, and any company data, such as Google Docs.   

What’s the impact in relation to GDPR The move of the data from the UK to the US is significant, as the US has far weaker privacy controls in place than the EU.  Therefore, individuals may not be guaranteed the protections of the GDPR.  Another potential issue is that the US government can gain access to any information within its jurisdiction.   

Organisations that are processing personal information using Google may be obligated to inform any individuals whose personal information will be transferred to the United States from the 31st March 2020. Microsoft Office stores information in both the UK and the EU, and it is worth considering moving from Google to Microsoft Office.   

Smartdesc is working with various charities and non-profit organisations to support their IT, including Governance, Compliance, Data Protection and Security. Contact us to arrange a time with one of our team to discuss any questions you may have. ACEVO and NCVO members can receive free time with one of our Virtual IT Directors to discuss any IT challenges your organisation is facing.   Ricci Wilding, Information Governance & Security Officer, Smartdesc.