UK Orders Google To 'Forget' News Articles Discussing Previous Right To Be Forgotten Requests

Free Speech

from the the-EU's-internet:-a-recursive-planned-community dept

We knew this day was coming. Ever since the EU decided something called the “right to be forgotten” existed, and that Google (mainly) would be tasked with the “forgetting,” the descent into an Inception-esque state of forgetting about forgetting about the forgotten was the illogical next step forward.

Google has been ordered by the Information Commissioner’s office to remove nine links to current news stories about older reports which themselves were removed from search results under the ‘right to be forgotten’ ruling.

The search engine had previously removed links relating to a 10 year-old criminal offence by an individual after requests made under the right to be forgotten ruling. Removal of those links from Google’s search results for the claimant’s name spurred new news posts detailing the removals, which were then indexed by Google’s search engine.

Google refused to remove links to these later news posts, which included details of the original criminal offence, despite them forming part of search results for the claimant’s name, arguing that they are an essential part of a recent news story and in the public interest.

As everyone should have known, forcing a state of forgetfulness more often results in the opposite happening. All Ms. Streisand wanted was for people to stop looking at her house. Now, more than a decade later, many internet denizens can conjure up a mental image of her coastline mansion with minimal effort.

Now, when journalists are informed that certain stories need to be “forgotten,” they’re obviously going to write about it. And with good reason. A stupid decision by the European Union basically gives almost anyone the right to vanish away facts about their past misdeeds. And journalists are going to be righteously angered that past reporting on factual events just has to “go away.” So, they report on the requests. And now those hoping to erase the past are condemned to repeat it. Not fair, says the ICO. Henceforth, more stupidity.

The UK’s Information Commission (ICO) seems to know what it’s asking is basically a futile gesture with one foot firmly planted in the realm of impossibility, but it’s going to ask for it all the same.

[Deputy Commissioner David] Smith said: “Let’s be clear. We understand that links being removed as a result of this court ruling is something that newspapers want to write about. And we understand that people need to be able to find these stories through search engines like Google. But that does not need them to be revealed when searching on the original complainant’s name.”

See? It’s so easy. This can all be fixed just by ensuring complainants don’t find anything they don’t like when using their own name as a search term. There are no specific instructions for Google to follow other than to delist any requested article discussing Google delistings in response to “right to be forgotten” requests.

Obviously, this decision will only result in more articles about requesters and their requests, which will populate search results, leading to more requests to be forgotten, followed by more directives by the various European government bodies, reaching the point where Google will be asked to remove links to articles discussing the removal of links to articles discussing removed links. Repeat until nauseated.

Filed Under: meta, right to be forgotten, uk
Companies: google