Europe grants the 'right to be forgotten online': EU court will force Google to remove people's personal data from search results on request
The ruling was made by the European Union Court of Justice (ECJ) It came after a Spanish man complained a listing infringed his privacy He wanted an auction notice of his repossessed home to be removed Court found under EU law, people have the right to control private data Google must now remove results, ‘unless there are reasons not to’ Reasons include if the data is in the public interest, and whether the data is necessary to remain online for the use of other people Google told MailOnline: 'This is a disappointing ruling for search engines and online publishers in general'
Internet users have the right to tell Google to hide embarrassing details of their past in search results, European judges ruled yesterday.
Anyone will be able to ask the technology giant and other search engines to block any reference to information about their life.
Although content cannot be removed from the internet altogether, the decision means it can be hidden from search results if it is ‘inadequate, irrelevant or no longer relevant, or excessive’.
It effectively enshrines in law the Brussels doctrine of the ‘right to be forgotten’, which says people should not be damaged by discussion of their mistakes or misjudgments in the distant past.
The ruling by the Luxembourg-based European Court of Justice yesterday provoked a wave of anger in Britain.
Both privacy and freedom of expression watchdogs said it was a threat to free speech – condemning efforts to allow people to ‘whitewash their personal history’.
Influential Tory Eurosceptic MP Dominic Raab added: ‘This ruling is a draconian attack on free speech and transparency, totally at odds with Britain’s liberal tradition.
‘It highlights the increasingly authoritarian dimension to the EU, which threatens basic freedoms we have long taken for granted.’
The judgment came as an unwelcome surprise to ministers who have opposed EU moves to establish a ‘right to be forgotten’.
The Government had been led to believe the European Court of Justice would reject yesterday’s case when an adviser to judges last year said suppressing content in the public domain would affect the ‘freedom of expression’ of web publishers.
But yesterday a board of 13 judges ruled that information could be suppressed even if it was ‘true, accurate and lawfully published’.
They found in favour of Spanish citizen Mario Costeja Gonzalez, who had demanded that Google block links to newspaper reports dating back to 1998 about his social security debts.
Mr Gonzalez told the court that the proceedings concerning him had been ‘fully resolved for a number of years’.
Judges said he had a right to suppress the information under a 1995 EU data protection directive and the EU’s Charter of Fundamental Rights, adding that his rights to privacy ‘override, as a general rule, the interest of internet users’.
Google was held responsible because, the judges decided, even though it is a US-based corporation, it has local sales offices in Spain.
The search giant said yesterday: ‘This is a disappointing ruling for search engines and online publishers in general. We now need to take time to analyse the implications.’
European Commission vice-president Viviane Reding, who is trying to persuade EU nations to adopt a formal directive on the right to be forgotten, said the decision was a victory for privacy and would mean people could now ‘manage their data’.
‘Companies can no longer hide behind their servers being based in California or anywhere else in the world,’ she said.
Emma Carr of Big Brother Watch said: ‘The principle that you have a right to be forgotten is a laudable one, but it was never intended to be a way for people to rewrite history.’
Index on Censorship added: ‘It allows individuals to complain to search engines about information they do not like with no legal oversight.
‘This is akin to marching into a library and forcing it to pulp books. Although the ruling is intended for private individuals it opens the door to anyone who wants to whitewash their personal history.’
itchyfeet Mega user
Posts : 2268 Join date : 2010-09-10 Age : 68 Location : Paskalevets
Subject: Re: Europe grants the 'right to be forgotten online' Wed May 14, 2014 2:34 pm
Europe grants the 'right to be forgotten online': EU court will force Google to remove people's personal data from search results on request
In my view a good thing to happen. The world is a nosey place these days and us older folk come from the MYOB generation!!
bigsavak Super user
Posts : 756 Join date : 2009-09-16
Subject: Re: Europe grants the 'right to be forgotten online' Thu May 15, 2014 11:24 am
About time to
cheekychops Super user
Posts : 1186 Join date : 2010-03-20
Subject: Re: Europe grants the 'right to be forgotten online' Thu May 15, 2014 11:29 am
Hopefully this will be good news to those who have been attacked online by trolls and malicious posters.
willowsend Mega user
Posts : 2271 Join date : 2009-11-10 Age : 84 Location : Dobrich
Subject: Re: Cyber Crime Fri May 30, 2014 11:30 pm
[size=150:36f1kui3]EU Orders Google to Remove Search Results After Privacy Claims
If this is actually going to take place and the abuse, lies, obscenities and disgusting text can be removed I will be contacting them to start by removing the entries below and perhaps the person responsible for such vulgar behavior will be brought to justice
Love Bulgaria or Hate Bulgaria? - My Bulgaria Forums [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] ... iewtopic... 25 Sep 2013 - 7 posts bryan talbot/cherry tree house/leslie/bulgaria/rental fraud/scam [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] ... ree-hous... Bank-BG | UK Government Pushes Bulgaria to Crack Down ... [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] ... own-on-p...
Talbot has a holiday home in Polkovnik Sveshtarovo, near Dobrich in the ..... to light that Bryan Talbot has actually stolen the land " Cherry Tree House" sits on!
19 Aug 2013 - ... FRAUD/SCAM/CHERRY TREE HOUSE/PAEDOPHILE This new scam .... /Dobrich/Polkovnik-Sveshtarovo/Villa-45807#Description 25560e1
Indian Consumer Complaints Forum | Bulgaria [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] ... garia.html
Talbot has a holiday home in Polkovnik Sveshtarovo, near Dobrich in the north east ... Cherrytreehouse.co.uk - fraud/leslie bryan talbot/bulgaria/paedophilia ... House, Apartment Rental ... FRAUD/SCAM/CHERRY TREE HOUSE/PAEDOPHILE
Sponsored content
Subject: Re: Europe grants the 'right to be forgotten online'
Sat Oct 13, 2012 9:53 am
