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 Collectivist whining about the right to be forgotten on Google

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RR Phantom

RR Phantom

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Collectivist whining about the right to be forgotten on Google Vide
PostSubject: Collectivist whining about the right to be forgotten on Google   Collectivist whining about the right to be forgotten on Google Icon_minitimeTue Jun 03, 2014 7:26 pm

As Google grapples with the European Court of Justice ruling that citizens in 28 countries have the right to be forgotten, let us pause to consider just how ridiculous it is to have a private company decide what details of a person's life might be embarassing or "irrelevant".

For that is essentially what Google has been asked to judge since the decision that individuals are entitled to request deletion of search results linking to information about them that is outdated or inaccurate.

Collectivist whining about the right to be forgotten on Google 1401769942784.jpg-620x349

Forget for a second defamation law (at least in this country) already covers search results that are slanderous or libellous. Part of the ruling says people can now request internet search engines remove results naming them that are deemed "inadequate, irrelevant or no longer relevant, or excessive in relation to the purposes for which they were processed".

This, of course, applies only to Europe, not Australia, but I dare say there'd be plenty of takers for the service here.

Having been on the receiving end of dozens of emails over the years from Fairfax readers pleading for me to delete stupid comments they've made in 2006 or 2009 - I can tell you the scope for irrelevance on the internet is rather broad. In fact, it's one of the pillars of its existence.

Some might argue people have a right to a "clean slate". As the Stanford Law Review points out: "The intellectual roots of the 'right to be forgotten' can be found in French law, which recognizes le droit à l’oubli - or the 'right of oblivion' - a right that allows a convicted criminal who has served his time and been rehabilitated to object to the publication of the facts of his conviction and incarceration."

Others might call this rewriting - or at least editing - history.

As Doug Mataconis observed on the website, Outside the Beltway: "In the case that was at issue before the court, the complaining party was objecting to the fact that a Google search of his name led to articles in a Spanish newspaper that were, by all accounts completely accurate.

"Notwithstanding that fact, the Court ruled based on existing European law that citizens of the European Union have a right to have material they consider embarrassing, or indeed all material, regarding them removed from search engine results."

On the first day offering this new service, Google logged 12,000 requests from people wishing to have certain parts of their lives "forgotte"' but we're yet to see how the company will decide what constitutes "irrelevancy".

A British brand manager told the Huffington Post: "Google has carefully controlled this case to provide minimal removal options. Initially what we are seeing is the right to correct outdated personal records such as private information, phone numbers, financial details, address, current employment, etc. Public records, alleged defamation and bona fide news stories are unlikely to be removed."

The most unweildy aspect of this court ruling is that having a search engine like Google remove results for its European sites, doesn't remove them from seach engine results in other countries. It also doesn't remove the information from existence in its orginal location on the internet.

One of the facets of modern life many people view as benefical - anonyminity and the opportunity to reinvent one's self - has a very obvious flipside; when nobody knows your name, you can avoid accountability for your words and actions.

You can burn bridges, friendships, business partners, break laws and promises and just keep moving - a luxury denied our insular forebears forever under the watchful eye of the village.

You could argue this has led to a disregard for consequences in some people because it's certainly easier to walk out on your wife and kids or your debts if you don't have to bear the daily scruitiny and judgment of a close knit community.

The internet, for all its faults, has given us all a tool to hold people accountable for their actions, their words, and their stupid wardrobe decisions when photographed at university.

In my experience, the right to be forgotten is far outweighed by society's larger right to know.

http://www.smh.com.au/comment/the-right-to-be-forgotten-or-rewriting-history-20140603-zrvvh.html
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