The right to be forgotten is “The right to silence on past events in life that are no longer occurring”, which means keeping the data for as long as needed and then destroy or archive them.

1. The right to be
forgotten
Francesco Bonadiman
franzbona@hotmail.it
Craig Kershaw
ckismuk@gmail.com
15 January 2015
Quality and Usability (Privacy) Seminar

2. 2014
2.3 zettabytes /day
mmedia.is
2

3. 2014
2.3 zettabytes /day
Should this
information be
forgotten at
some point?
mmedia.is
2

4. “My own business
always bores me to
death; I prefer other
people’s.”
a3.files.biography.com
Oscar Wilde
3

5. Who hasn’t “Googled”
themselves?
“My own business
always bores me to
death; I prefer other
people’s.”
a3.files.biography.com
Oscar Wilde
3

6. Example Cases
origin.arstechnica.com
4
Stacy Snyder

7. Example Cases
Stacy Snyder Virginia Da Cunha
origin.arstechnica.com 2.bp.blogspot.com
4

8. Mario Costeja González
cdn-lejdd.ladmedia.fr
5

9. Privacy
A “Right to be Forgotten”?
Liable? →
webseoanalytics.com
6

10. What is the right
to be forgotten?

11. rack.3.mshcdn.com
“The right to silence
on past events in life
that are no longer
occurring”
8

12. New technologies
‘Default of forgetting’
gradually shifted towards
‘Default of remembering’
9

13. Keep data for as long as
needed and then
destroy or archive
movie-hound.com
10

14. Keep data for as long as
needed and then
destroy or archive
Express
yourself freely
without fear!
movie-hound.com
10

15. Protections?
falkondigital.com
What if we later regret what we post?
11

16. Protections?
falkondigital.com
What if we later regret what we post?
Few protections against
revenge-porn / poor judgement
11

17. Protections?
falkondigital.com
EU ruling allows citizens to
apply for outdated
information to be removed
from search results
12

18. Responsibility?
Re-posts or re-tweets?
Search engine de-indexing?
pfhub.com
13

19. Drawbacks

20. Privacy Issues
Appear too late
Impossible to predict all
negative consequences
No change in behaviour
15

21. Threat to Free Speech?
images.flatworldknowledge.com
Subtle Censorship
16

22. Threat to Free Speech?
images.flatworldknowledge.com
Subtle Censorship
Important information →
- Inaccessible
- Incomplete
- Misrepresentative
16

23. Threat to Free Speech?
Public interest in
remembrance
images.flatworldknowledge.com
17

24. Threat to Free Speech?
Public interest in
remembrance
Culture is memory
images.flatworldknowledge.com
17

25. Threat to Free Speech?
Public interest in
remembrance
Culture is memory
Freedom of expression
images.flatworldknowledge.com
17

26. Third Parties
Data mining
wp.streetwise.co
18

27. Third Parties
Data mining
Re-blogging
wp.streetwise.co
18

28. Third Parties
Data mining
Re-blogging
Untrackable
wp.streetwise.co
18

29. Recent Privacy Scandals
Individuals have a
complete lack of
control over their
data in practice
ytnetwork.com - rt.com
19

30. Scope
Contractual relationship
hse.gov.uk
20

31. Scope
Contractual relationship
What if data is needed
(legally) without an
individual’s consent?
hse.gov.uk
20

32. The Dawn
deviantart.net

33. Previous Legislation
Directive 95/46/EC → Internet protection
falkondigital.com
22

34. Previous Legislation
Directive 95/46/EC → Internet protection
“Right to forget” → don’t revive old events
falkondigital.com
22

35. Previous Legislation
Directive 95/46/EC → Internet protection
“Right to forget” → don’t revive old events
French Code → criminals
“droit à l’oubli” + rehab
falkondigital.com
22

36. Previous Legislation
Directive 95/46/EC → Internet protection
“Right to forget” → don’t revive old events
French Code → criminals
“droit à l’oubli” + rehab
ECHR: balance between
Privacy ⇔ Right to speech falkondigital.com
22

37. May 2014
persecutionofahmadis.org
“suppress search-
results for
privacy-related
reasons”
23

38. May 2014
persecutionofahmadis.org
“suppress search-
results for
privacy-related
reasons”
“inadequate or no
longer relevant” =
no public interest
23

39. vs
bvoed.de
google.com
right to be
forgotten
de-indexed
24

40. vs
bvoed.de
google.com
right to be
forgotten
de-indexed
person’s name
≠ keyword
24

41. vs
bvoed.de
google.com
right to be
forgotten
de-indexed
ISSUE #1
past life online
if less relevant?
person’s name
≠ keyword
24

42. vs
bvoed.de
google.com
right to be
forgotten
de-indexed
ISSUE #1
past life online
if less relevant?
person’s name
≠ keyword
ISSUE #2
search engines
= offline world?
24

43. s3.amazonaws.com
no control
→ robot
25

44. s3.amazonaws.com
no control
→ robot
economic
interests =
secondary
25

45. s3.amazonaws.com
no control
→ robot
legal
responsibility
for results?
economic
interests =
secondary
25

46. s3.amazonaws.com
no control
→ robot
Google’s
businesses?
legal
responsibility
for results?
economic
interests =
secondary
25

47. What did the Court say?

48. quickmeme.com

49. Domains
Ruling applied to
European domains
youreuropemap.com
28

50. Domains
Ruling applied to
European domains
youreuropemap.com
but not to .com!
28

51. Domains
Ruling applied to
European domains
youreuropemap.com
but not to .com!
→ new guidelines!
(circumnavigation)
28

52. Balkanization
accentuate differences
lookintoit.org
29

53. Balkanization
cdn.static-economist.com
Webform request
6 months: 175k (~60% OK)accentuate differences
lookintoit.org
29

54. techweekeurope.co.uk
30

55. techweekeurope.co.uk
30
PRIVACY
SPEECH
CONFLICT

56. techweekeurope.co.uk
government
involvement
PRIVACY
SPEECH
CONFLICT
30

57. techweekeurope.co.uk
government
involvement
“fail to enforce
privacy rights”
PRIVACY
SPEECH
CONFLICT
30

58. techweekeurope.co.uk
freedom of
expression government
involvement
“fail to enforce
privacy rights”
PRIVACY
SPEECH
CONFLICT
30

59. techweekeurope.co.uk
freedom of
expression
society and
civic values
government
involvement
“fail to enforce
privacy rights”
PRIVACY
SPEECH
CONFLICT
30

60. techweekeurope.co.uk
freedom of
expression
society and
civic values
government
involvement
“fail to enforce
privacy rights”
PRIVACY
SPEECH
CONFLICT
one’s criminal
history = public
30

61. Controversies
Practicality of international human right
→ Access information?
31

62. Controversies
Practicality of international human right
→ Access information?
Turn public into private after time → Privacy?
31

63. Controversies
Practicality of international human right
→ Access information?
Turn public into private after time → Privacy?
Bureaucratic nightmare → companies
31

64. Public life
jerrymabbott.com
Past political comments?
Transparency?
32

65. Public life
jerrymabbott.com
Past political comments?
Transparency?
High School poems?
32

66. Public life
jerrymabbott.com
Past political comments?
Transparency?
High School poems?
Retreat into anonimity?
32

67. Criminal records
How relevant after time?
lacriticacritica.com
steve-lovelace.com
33

68. Criminal records
How relevant after time?
World War II
lacriticacritica.com
steve-lovelace.com
33

69. Criminal records
How relevant after time?
World War II
Ruling party of GDR
lacriticacritica.com
steve-lovelace.com
33

70. Solution (?)
Expiration dates!
3.bp.blogspot.com
34

71. Solution (?)
Expiration dates!
Who deletes the information?
Difficult to apply
3.bp.blogspot.com
34

72. Conclusions
Convergence in views between US and EU
imageshack.us
35

73. Conclusions
Convergence in views between US and EU
Balance privacy ⇔ freedom
imageshack.us
35

74. Conclusions
Convergence in views between US and EU
Balance privacy ⇔ freedom
Trade-off sharing ⇔ services
imageshack.us
35

75. Conclusions
Convergence in views between US and EU
Balance privacy ⇔ freedom
Trade-off sharing ⇔ services
Internet → Free and open as now? imageshack.us
35

76. fineartamerica.com
Funes the Memorious
36

77. fineartamerica.com
Funes the Memorious
“Present is worthless”
36

78. jrbenjamin.com
“Without forgetting
it is quite impossible
to live at all”
37

79. Thanks!

80. References
1. Bygrave L., A right to be forgotten?, Communications of the ACM, 2015
2. Ausloos J., The ‘Right to be Forgotten’ - Worth Remembering?, Forthcoming Computer Law
& Security Review, 2012
3. de Terwangne. C, Internet Privacy and the Right to Be Forgotten/Right to Oblivion, Revista de
los Estudios de Derecho y Ciencia Política de la UOC, 2012
4. Wagner M., Li-Reilly Y., The right to be forgotten, The Advocate, 2014
5. Weber R., The Right to Be Forgotten: More Than a Pandora’s Box?, JIPITEC, 2011
6. Bennett S., The "Right to Be Forgotten": Reconciling EU and US Perspectives, Berkeley Journal
of International Law, 2012
7. Rosen J., The Right to Be Forgotten, Stanford Law Review, 2012
8. wsj.com/articles/eu-says-google-should-extend-right-to-be-forgotten-to-com-websites-
1417006254 - The Wall Street Journal
9. theguardian.com/technology/2014/nov/27/eu-to-google-expand-right-to-be-forgotten-
to-googlecom - The Guardian
10. wikipedia.org/wiki/Right_to_be_forgotten - Wikipedia
39

81. Discussion
Might forgetting be a good thing?
And if yes, after how long?
Should ISP determine whether a piece of
information should be forgotten?
40