European court orders Google to remove outdated personal information
One of Europe's highest courts has ruled that Google can be told to remove personal information that is excessive, irrelevant, or out of date.
The European Union Court of Justice ruled in favour of the so-called right to be forgotten, a ruling that has pitted advocates of freedom of expression against those who want the "right to be forgotten".
The case was originally launched by a Spanish man who objected to old articles emerging from a Google search of his name.
When Mario Costeja Gonzalez googled his name the search engine threw up 16-year-old articles about his home being repossessed, something he would rather have the world forget.
European Justice Commissioner Viviane Reding says the decision vindicates the European Union's efforts to toughen up privacy rules.
Google says the outcome is disappointing, and it needs time to analyse the implications.
London-based lawyer Ruth Collard, who specialises in media law, says the decision will reach far beyond Google.
"I think they and possibly other companies, possibly media companies - although there are often specific data processing exceptions that apply to journalism - and other companies that put personal data online are going to need to be dealing with this," she said.
"Dealing with requests from people to take material down, potentially having compliance departments to look at these requests and where the fair balance lies between the individual's interests in keeping material private and the interests of internet users in having access to information."
The EU Justice Commissioner says the decision means companies cannot hide behind their servers being based in California or elsewhere.
Ms Collard says it is too early to know what effect this will have in the US, where freedom of expression is guarded, and it could lead to different levels of access in different jurisdictions.
She says because public interest will have to be balanced against privacy, as ordinary people might be able to hit the delete button more easily than those in, or seeking, public office.
"The individual who brought the claim was a pretty ordinary citizen in Spain. For ordinary individuals it looks as though it may provide a route by which information that's out of date or irrelevant or no longer relevant can be got rid of."
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-05-14/google-told-to-remove-outdated-personal-information/5452048 
FAQ
Search
Memberlist
Register
Log in
