Tech

Google Getting First 'Right To Be Forgotten' Requests

This comes after Europe's top court made a ruling about privacy rights online — giving Internet users the "right to be forgotten."

Google Getting First 'Right To Be Forgotten' Requests
The Verge
SMS

Google is dealing with its first "right to be forgotten" requests since since a European court made its ruling about privacy rights online less than a week ago.

ANCHOR: "You have a right to what others see on search engines like Google. According to the courts, your privacy is more important that public information."

USA Today reports many of the requests are coming from criminals who want links about past crimes they've committed removed from the search engine.

The BBC adds other people on that list of requests include an ex-politician trying to go back into office, a man who was convicted of possessing pictures of child abuse, and a doctor who wants bad reviews removed.

In a statement, Google said it could take several weeks to figure out how to remove information and determine what information falls under the new ruling.

According to The Telegraph, search engines are now required to remove information if someone from the EU asks for it to be removed and the search engine finds that information is no longer relevant.

CNN notes links involving both public figures and events deemed in the public interest cannot be removed as part of the ruling. 

But now some are worrying the new ruling might not be specific enough. One marketing research group representative told Computerworld: "It's all left open to interpretation. They're basically tying Google and other search engines up in court for God knows how long."

So far, it's not clear exactly how the ruling will be implemented in the EU. NBC reports it's also unclear whether information removed in the EU would still be visible in other countries.