Former Federal Data Commissioner in Germany, Peter Schaar, says that it isn't for tax reasons why Facebook has chosen to locate their EU headquarters in Ireland, but rather it's for our relaxed data protection laws.
Speaking to The International New York Times, Schaar said that while Ireland had attracted companies like Google, Facebook, LinkedIn and Apple, it is Ireland's loose interpretations of data protection law that is most appealing to them.
"Of course Facebook would go to a country with the lowest levels of data protection. It’s natural they would choose Ireland," Schaar told the New York Times.
Schaar's comments come after the Dutch Data Protection Commissioner revealed that it was launching an investigation into Facebook's new privacy laws.
In particular the investigation will be angled towards the company's new privacy policy which has been broken down from the regular hard-to-understand terminology that often comes with terms and conditions.
Last Monday, the Irish Data Protection Commissioner revealed that it is now responsible for ensuring the privacy and data of Twitter users outside of the United States.
The additional responsibilities will add more pressure on the commissioner whose budget has now grown to €3.65 million.