HMD Global moving all user data to Finland for security

HMD Global, which makes and markets Nokia-branded phones, on Tuesday announced partnership with consultancy firm CGI and Google Cloud to move and store phone activation and performance data at the Google Cloud Region in Hamina, Finland for better protection.

The move would deliver an even better customer and device experience for Nokia phone users, by improving the speed and accuracy of device enhancements delivered to Nokia phones, the company said in a statement.

"Google Cloud and CGI were natural choices to be our strategic cloud partners, thanks to our pre-existing close collaborations with them, which ensures that we're implementing our leading data security and analytics technology at a global level.

"We want to remain open and transparent about how we collect and store device activation data and want to ensure people understand why and how it improves their phone experience. This change aims to further reinforce our promise to our fans for a pure, secure and up to date Android, with an emphasis on security and privacy through our data servers in Finland" said Juho Sarvikas, Chief Product Officer, HMD Global.

The move coinincides with the company's commitment to adhere to all applicable European security measures and legislation, including EU data privacy regulations such as the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

CGI has created infrastructure between the back-end data collection and smartphones with an efficiently built architecture and optimised cost structure.