Facebook has operations in Ireland. As such they are subject to the EU Data Directive[1] which gives much more control over the personal data Facebook holds to

Facebook has operations in Ireland. As such they are subject to the EU Data Directive[1] which gives much more control over the personal data Facebook holds to the data subject (the user). Two things have happened to Facebook recently: 1. They were sued by the FTC[2] 2. And a person, turned to a group, has been making data subject requests to Facebook causing them some trouble[3] All of these things lead to Facebook protecting itself legally with statements in their terms of use. At the end of the day it is not that you are contracting with an Irish company but globally Ireland's laws (EU Data Directive) gives you the most rights, so they are pointing that out to you. [1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Data_Protection_Directive http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Data_Protection_Directive [2] http://www.bgr.com/2011/11/29/facebook-settles-privacy-suit-with-ftc-will-submit-independent-audits-for-20-years/ http://www.bgr.com/2011/11/29/facebook-settles-privacy-suit-... [3] http://europe-v-facebook.org/EN/Objectives/objectives.html http://europe-v-facebook.org/EN/Objectives/objectives.html