RightToBeForgotten
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Forget.me makes it slightly easier to wipe yourself from Google's memory
Now that Google must obey Europeans' right to be forgotten, companies are rushing to capitalize on your (presumed) desire to erase yourself from online searches. Take Reputation VIP's new Forget.me, for example: the free service promises both a simpler, step-by-step alternative to Google's existing removal form as well as notifications should the internet giant accept your request and start yanking content. That's potentially quite handy, especially if you're not technically inclined.
What you need to know about the 'right to be forgotten' on Google
Who decides your rights to privacy and freedom of speech on the internet? Earlier this month, a landmark ruling by Europe's biggest court left Google trying to find an answer to that unanswerable question. The case, which centers on the so-called "right to be forgotten," allows European users to actively ask providers to remove personal information that's become "outdated" or "irrelevant." Even if Google (or other search engines) has indexed it in a fair and legal way, it's obligated to comply with the ruling. It's opened a debate over whether a company known for its complex search algorithms should be given the duty of making judgement calls over what should and should not remain online for the world to see. Google co-founder Sergey Brin wishes he could "just forget the ruling," but unfortunately for him, Google, and you, the issue is real. And it's going to impact the way we search the web forever.
Google's EU-only form can help the internet forget about you
Google has now complied with a European court ruling that it must remove links to personal data if requested. It has just put up a "right to be forgotten" form to help you remove links about yourself from its search results -- but not the pages themselves. To apply, you'll need to explain why the pages you want de-listed are "irrelevant, outdated, or... inappropriate" and supply valid ID like a driver's license. If your submission is accepted, Google will then strike the link from its searches and replace them with a notice similar to those it uses for takedowns. Google was not at all happy with the ruling, telling Re/Code earlier that it went too far by sacrificing the public's right to know for the right to privacy. Meanwhile, it's in the process of setting up a committee to evaluate requests with luminaries like Wikipedia's Jimmy Wales. Unfortunately, if you're in the US or anywhere else outside the EU: Fuggedaboutit.
Do we have the right to be 'forgotten' on Google? Spain asks ECJ to investigate
Google has already tasted European hot water over its revised privacy policy, and soon the European Court of Justice (ECJ) may expand its remit to consider other related issues too. Spanish judges are asking the top court to consider complaints from 100 Spaniards who wish to have their names removed from news articles and websites. Among the complainants are a plastic surgeon who wants to delete archived references to a botched operation, and a man who appears on the Google News aggregator for alleged non-payment of social security. Google itself told Reuters that it supports the "right to be forgotten," but only if it's applied to search engines "in a way that protects both the right to privacy and the right to free expression." If only life was as simple as Pay N' Spray.
