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‘Right to be forgotten’ Pushes Google to be More European

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Google Launches Right to be forgotten Request Form

right to be forgottenToday, Friday May 30, the European Court of Justice’s right to be forgotten takes effect. In readiness of this Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG) has launched a request form to be filled by Europeans to ask for removal of their personal data from online search results. Also the California-based search engine company has revealed plans to create a committee of independent experts to deal with any rising privacy concerns.

On May 13, the EU’s highest court ruled that a person has the right to compel Google, other search engines or any other data mining firm, to erase links to web pages containing damaging information that is  “inadequate, irrelevant or no longer relevant” about him from appearing in search results.

Right to be Forgotten Request Form

In complying with the court order on right to be forgotten and responding to its ramifications, Google has said it would weigh up individual request based on privacy rights and the public’s right to know and distribute information.

Those who want information removed from the search engine’s index would have to fill the available request form. But filling this form does not guarantee deletion of the information in question. The company will only delete information that they have proven is outdated and there’s no public interest in the information. This is has been specified on the form.

Some of the information Google digs into when determining whether to implement the request or not includes professional malpractice, financial scams, criminal convictions, or public conduct of government officials.

Freedom of Expression versus Right to Privacy

While the right to be forgotten is well taken in Europe, there has been a loud outcry in the U.S. following the ruling. This is as a clash of cultures, where Europeans value the right to privacy but Americans consider freedom of expression as paramount.

Privacy issues have been raised severally regarding Google. In an interview aired in the CNBC documentary dubbed “Inside the Mind of Google”, Google Chairman Eric Schmidt says, “… if you do something you don’t want anyone to know about, maybe you should not be doing it in the first place.”

Jimmy Wales, Wikipedia Founder, has excoriated the ruling saying it rounds down to internet censorship. He even tweeted:

“When will a European court demand that Wikipedia censor an article with truthful information because an individual doesn’t like it?”

Google’s CEO, Larry Page, has promised to implement the right to be forgotten, but he warns that this ruling may set precedence for retrogressive governments to do bad things. He also adds that this risks hurting innovation. He however promised that his company would try to be “more European”, referring to the high privacy standards in Europe.

“As we regulate the internet, I think we’re not going to see the kind of innovation we’ve seen” – Google CEO Larry Page

Conclusion

There are many reasons why people would want Google to forget them. Some of the cases you wouldn’t want Google to let people know include embarrassing images from the past, the crimes you committed in the past, acts of domestic violence and many more. By removing this information from search engine, the right to be forgotten negates the very essence of internet as a background check search tool.

EU’s Right to Be Forgotten Reveals A dip Digital Divide

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Right to Be Forgotten Easier Said than Done!

right to be forgotten, Google Search

Google Search Page

This is the second week since European Union’s highest court ruled that Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG) and other data mining company to give people the right to be forgotten. The ruling has been well received in European countries, but in the U.S. it is termed as ridiculous and retrogressive!

Already the California-based internet giant has begun receiving requests from people who want some of their private information be deleted from the search engine’s database. The company is working on the best way to implement the “right to be forgotten”, and probably it will establish an online tool to help in removing personal information.

About the Ruling

When you do a normal search on Google, it normally displays any information relating to the typed word. The information often includes pictures and links to stories that capture the searched word. On 13 May, the European Union’s Court of Justice ruled that a user had the right to force Google or any other search engine or data mining company to remove links to web pages about him. So if searches on your property or your name display horrendous results that you would like to be removed, you can now compel the company to do so!

The ruling was made in a case where a Spanish man sued Google for linking searches relating to his house to an auction notice of his now repossessed home. He argued that this act infringed his privacy. The court said that due to the passage of time, the notice became “irrelevant” and it was unjust to link such searches to the complainant repossessed home. Therefore Google was commanded to delink the search results as demanded by the complainant.

This ruling applied to other users as well, as they all had the right to be forgotten. The only exception was that if the data in question was of importance to the pubic life, then the search engine would be justified to keep it online.

Different Stance

The ruling has laid bare the societal difference between Europe and the U.S. While many people in Europe, especially Germany, Ireland and the U.K. have welcome the ruling, there has been an outcry in the U.S., especially in the Silicon Valley.

Jimmy Wales, the founder of Wikipedia, says the right to be forgotten could round-down to internet censorship, given that it is difficult to tell which data to keep and which one to delete.

 

In Europe people value privacy, which on the internet has been a cause of concern to many. This is why the win over omnipresent Google is good news to them. On the other hand, in the U.S., freedom of speech and expression override privacy issues. In fact, New York Times editorial was quick to opine that the ruling would jeopardize press freedom.

The Implication of the Ruling

The ruling caught Google by a surprise and the company has not hidden its disappointment with the European court’s decision. The internet giant is still working on how to implement the demand. Already there are lots of requests flowing in from people who want specific data about them to be deleted.

In ablog post, U.K.’s Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) said that they working with other data protection authorities in Europe to set the guidelines for implementing the right to be forgotten. The meeting to discuss the matter is set for early next month. Until then, Google has still time to analyze the implication of this latest development.

The companies affected by the right to be forgotten issue include Facebook Inc (NASDAQ:FB), Yahoo! Inc. (NASDAQ: YHOO) and other data mining companies.