Google and the "Right to be Forgotten" in the EU
Posted by FlukeMan2 10 years, 9 months ago to Technology
The EU as passed measures to force Google (and others including but not limited to Bing, Yahoo, DuckDuckGo...) to censor search results. This is all under the banner of the "Right to be Forgotten." If someone doesn't like something said about them on the Web, then they can demand that Google remove it from their search results. It's still on the Web. You just can't find it using any major search engine. This is how the EU gets away thinking they haven't violated free speech (when they have). When a journalist's article has been censored out of search results there is no appeal process for them. They might not even know that it happened.
The major argument behind this is that if someone does something stupid and regrets it, then they should be able move on without it haunting them for the rest of their life. In other words they have the right to be forgotten. They put it out there as some form of the right to privacy. This is like saying the right to free speech is the same as the right to be listened to. Just because you are free to say what you want doesn't mean you have the right to an audience or people willing to support you. Likewise just because you have a right to privacy doesn't mean you have the right censor what's said or remembered about you. Just think about how ridiculous that sounds: censoring memories. Even if that were possible, it wouldn't be ethical.
Don't get me wrong. I've done things I regret and wouldn't like to be at the top of the search results of my name, but the solution is not to pass a law censoring search results. The solution is to become a more mature and forgiving society that recognizes that people do dumb stuff and can change. There's also a need for more maturity when using the Internet. If you share something with people, then they could pass it on. If you share it with the world then there's no need for anyone to pass it on. You can't demand the world forgets what you did or said. Think twice before you post something. You can regret your actions and seek forgiveness, but you can't demand it. In the end the solution is not EVER going to come from a government.
The people most likely to use this ability to censor the memory of the Internet (via search results) are the very politicians who put it into play.
What do all of you have to say regarding the Google and the EU's "Right to be Forgotten?"
The major argument behind this is that if someone does something stupid and regrets it, then they should be able move on without it haunting them for the rest of their life. In other words they have the right to be forgotten. They put it out there as some form of the right to privacy. This is like saying the right to free speech is the same as the right to be listened to. Just because you are free to say what you want doesn't mean you have the right to an audience or people willing to support you. Likewise just because you have a right to privacy doesn't mean you have the right censor what's said or remembered about you. Just think about how ridiculous that sounds: censoring memories. Even if that were possible, it wouldn't be ethical.
Don't get me wrong. I've done things I regret and wouldn't like to be at the top of the search results of my name, but the solution is not to pass a law censoring search results. The solution is to become a more mature and forgiving society that recognizes that people do dumb stuff and can change. There's also a need for more maturity when using the Internet. If you share something with people, then they could pass it on. If you share it with the world then there's no need for anyone to pass it on. You can't demand the world forgets what you did or said. Think twice before you post something. You can regret your actions and seek forgiveness, but you can't demand it. In the end the solution is not EVER going to come from a government.
The people most likely to use this ability to censor the memory of the Internet (via search results) are the very politicians who put it into play.
What do all of you have to say regarding the Google and the EU's "Right to be Forgotten?"
