Google loses landmark 'right to be forgotten' case

A businessman has won the first 'right to be forgotten' lawsuit against Google in the UK high court, according to the BBC.

The right to be forgotten (RTBF) is an online privacy statute that the European Court of Justice passed in 2014. It states that European citizens can petition search engine companies like Google to delist URLs from search results if the websites contain information that is inaccurate, irrelevant, and not in the public interest to keep available.

Of course, determining what is "irrelevant" for an individual versus what is in the public interest to keep accessible is the challenge of enforcing the right to be forgotten. The petitions of two businessmen*, on whose lawsuits the UK court both ruled on Friday, exemplify the balancing act making RTBF decisions requires. Read more...