Right to be forgotten

The right to be forgotten is a concept that has been discussed and put into practice in both the European Union (EU), and Argentina since 2006. The issue has arisen from desires of individuals to determine the development of their life in an autonomous way, without being perpetually or periodically stigmatized as a consequence of a specific action performed in the past.

There has been controversy about the practicality of establishing a right to be forgotten to the status of an international human right in respect to access to information, due in part to the vagueness of current rulings attempting to implement such a right. Furthermore, there are concerns about its impact on the right to freedom of expression, its interaction with the right to privacy, and whether creating a right to be forgotten would decrease the quality of the Internet through censorship and a rewriting of history. Those in favor of the right to be forgotten cite its necessity due to issues such as revenge porn sites appearing in search engine listings for a person's name, as well as instances of these results referencing petty crimes individuals may have committed many years ago. The central concern here being, these results can unduly play a prominent role in a person's online presence almost indefinitely if not removed.

Case Studies:

The Right to Be Forgotten

The Right to Be Forgotten

Sources:
 * 1) Right to be forgotten