Google has presented a new tool for the “right to be forgotten”, by means of which users will be able to request the cancellation of certain results associated with their name.
Following the recent decision by the EU Court of Justice which has established that users can ask search engines to remove results linked to their name, Google has released a new tool for requesting the removal of the content.
Commenting on the indications contained in the judgment, Google has announced that a request for removal can be forwarded by any citizen who considers the information in the results associated with a search relating to their name to be unsuitable, irrelevant or no longer relevant, or even excessive in relation to the purposes for which such information has been published.
On the web page carrying the form, the company advises that “For the duration of implementation of this decision we will evaluate each individual request and try to find an appropriate balance between the individual person’s rights to privacy with the right of everyone to know and share information. When evaluating a request we will establish whether results include outdated information about the user and whether the information is of public interest, for instance whether it relates to financial fraud, professional negligence, criminal convictions or the conduct of public officials.”
Larry Page, Google’s CEO has expressed his concern to the Financial Times regarding the decision of the European Court, stressing that the judgment risks damaging the next generation of digital start-ups and reinforces the repressive actions of those governments which attempt to limit the free flow of information on the Internet.
The company also announced that it is working on setting up a committee of experts for providing advice on how to manage the new facility dedicated to the right to be forgotten.
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