Right to be forgotten spurs 12,000 requests to Google
Posted by: Timothy Weaver on 06/02/2014 10:56 AM
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Google received 12,000 requests from across Europe asking that shady Web histories be expunged.
The online application allows residents of the EU's 28 member states to petition for certain links to be removed from the search engine's results.
The case dates back to 1998 when a Spanish man attempted to have an article about his social security debts removed from a Spanish daily newspaper's online archives. In a case in 2013, the court found that Google was not required to remove such links, provided that publication of the data is legal.
But the case was overturned. The search giant has complied, last week publishing an "initial effort," with the promise of a more finalized request process "as soon as possible."
The form requires that users wishing to have their info removed submit full name, home country, email address, and list of URLs to be removed..In an effort for Google to crack down on fraudulent removal requests, users must also provide a valid form of photo ID.
What may not make the cut is information about financial scams, professional malpractice, criminal convictions, or public content of government officials.
Google CEO Larry Page said that the company has learned a vital lesson: "We're starting the process of really going and talking to people."
"We're trying now to be more European and think about it maybe more from a European context," Page said. "A very significant amount of time is going to be spent in Europe talking."
The online application allows residents of the EU's 28 member states to petition for certain links to be removed from the search engine's results.
The case dates back to 1998 when a Spanish man attempted to have an article about his social security debts removed from a Spanish daily newspaper's online archives. In a case in 2013, the court found that Google was not required to remove such links, provided that publication of the data is legal.
But the case was overturned. The search giant has complied, last week publishing an "initial effort," with the promise of a more finalized request process "as soon as possible."
The form requires that users wishing to have their info removed submit full name, home country, email address, and list of URLs to be removed..In an effort for Google to crack down on fraudulent removal requests, users must also provide a valid form of photo ID.
What may not make the cut is information about financial scams, professional malpractice, criminal convictions, or public content of government officials.
Google CEO Larry Page said that the company has learned a vital lesson: "We're starting the process of really going and talking to people."
"We're trying now to be more European and think about it maybe more from a European context," Page said. "A very significant amount of time is going to be spent in Europe talking."
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