My dad is a school principal. Whenever he explains to students how potentially dangerous the internet can be, he uses the same example. Say there was a women, who when she was young, did something rather silly, maybe posing for some photos, or even getting drunk. Now, many years later, she is married to a pastor. In the old days before the internet, her past would just be vague rumours that a few people remembered. Nowadays, all you need to do is type her name into a search engine and you can get photographic proof of what she’s done. She can even have moved towns or countries, her past will follow her everywhere.
This is what some people want to change.
In what has been described as a first, people in Spain have started a “right to be forgotten” movement, where they are trying to get Google to delete some information about them that is online. Or, at the very least, to bury it in the back pages where it will likely never be found.
These people include a plastic surgeon, as well as a prison guard. For the plastic surgeon, a malpractice lawsuit against him ten years ago that was then dismissed is still causing problems. This is because there is no sign of anything that lets prospective clients know that the case was dismissed, just that it was filed. And this can be found on Google’s list of results directly under the link to his website.
The Prison guard has a different problem. He would like any information about him to be deleted, as it could help criminals seek revenge against him or his family.
Both men have a valid reason for wanting their online identity edited, but other people are worried. If the men, as well as the others who have filed for the “Right to be forgotten” achieve their aim, it may lead a restriction of free speech. The case for censorship will also be strengthened, as basically, people will be able to censor what others read about them.
What do you think? Is the “right to be forgotten” greater than the right to freedom of speech?
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