Google is now soliciting feedback on their implementation of EU’s Right To Be Forgotten ruling through a new Advisory Council.
In an effort to obtain feedback from the general public, Google has opened up a new form where they are encouraging you to leave your thoughts.
The new page Google has set up opens with the question: “How should one person’s right to be forgotten be balanced with the public’s right to know?”
The page then goes on to explain Right To Be Forgotten in more detail.
A recent ruling by the Court of Justice of the European Union found that European law gives people the right to ask search engines like Google to remove results for queries that include their name.
Since the ruling, Google has received removal requests for content such as: serious criminal records, embarrassing photos, instances of online bullying and name-calling, decades-old allegations, negative press stories, and more.
For each of these requests, Google is required to weigh, on a case-by-case basis, an individual’s right to be forgotten with the public’s right to know.
Google explains that they want to strike the right balance, with this obligation being “a new and difficult challenge” for them. Google is seeking advice on the principles that should be applied when making decisions on individual cases. To help with this, Google is convening a council of experts.
“We’re just getting started”, Google says, and during this process they want to hear your input. “This is all about your rights online, and the Internet provides an incredible forum for discussion and debate.”
If you’re interested in providing your input, there is a form embedded on this page.
Google’s Advisory Council
Google is setting up an advisory council to gather input from Europeans on Right to Be Forgotten. The advisory council will hold consultations in Europe this fall, which Google intends to stream live and record.
After the consultations the council will publish its findings, which Google hopes will help inform evolving policies in this area.
The council will be made up of the following individuals:
- Prof. Luciano Floridi
- Sylvie Kauffmann
- Lidia Kolucka-Zuk
- Frank La Rue
- José-Luis Piñar
- Sabine Leutheusser-Schnarrenberger
- Peggy Valcke
- Jimmy Wales
- Eric Schmidt
- David C. Drummond
For more information, visit Google’s Advisory Council page.
