Google is planning to move its UK users' data outside of European jurisdiction, the U.S. based web giant confirmed. It will instead put UK data under U.S. authorities' governance. 

Google's European base is in Ireland, and therefore data held there is under the European Union's General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR). But as the UK has officially left the EU (though remains in a transition period), Google is taking the step of moving users' data because it is unclear if the UK will stay aligned with the bloc's rules on data protection, or not. 

The firm denied any meaningful changes would affect UK users once data was moved. "Nothing about our services or our approach to privacy will change, including how we collect or process data, and how we respond to law enforcement demands for users' information," Google said in a statement. 

It is understood the firm is likely to ask permission of UK users before any changes are made. 

However it is unclear at this point why Google will put UK data under U.S. control, instead of moving it to a UK subsidiary which would also remove it from EU GDPR oversight, from December 2020, when the transition is slated to end. 

While the EU has what is widely regarded as some of the world's strictest and most aggressive data protection rules, the U.S. is seen as one of the weakest controls. The recently passed Cloud Act would also give police authorities easier access to British citizens' data (which would be harder to access under GDPR).