Last year Google was forced by the European Union to offer users a "right to be forgotten" option, allowing users to remove search results pertaining to them and their past.
Since then there has been a debate on whether or not the option should be extended to being offered in the U.S. and other countries outside of Europe. Google, however, has been advised to limit the right to be forgotten to Europe, meaning that search results in the U.S. will still show what will be removed in Europe.
The right to be forgotten is an important topic for many privacy advocates, many of whom believe people should be given the choice on what pages relating to them are shown in search results. Based on Europe's ruling that Google must offer it as an option to European citizens, the company has received over 212,000 removal requests for over 767,000 URLs.
It's important to note that if Google does remove a page from its search results, the page itself is not removed, only Google's link to it if a person searches for a topic relating to that page. Users can still access the Internet page through typing in the right URL.
While privacy advocates argue that the right to be forgotten is important, Google and many others in the tech industry suggest that the right to be forgotten limits the extent that the Internet can be used as an open and comprehensive informational tool. Many also argue that it puts a censor on the freedom of expression that is currently found on the Internet.
It's also important to note that just because someone requests that a page related to them be removed, Google doesn't necessarily have to remove it from search results. Many of the requests include copyrighted material and extremely sensitive information.
Many think that it is only a matter of time before Google is forced to do the same in the U.S. As the general public becomes more aware of privacy in tech and the dangers of not having privacy, it is likely that people will begin to be more sensitive of the information about them that is available online through their online accounts and records of certain events that they may have been involved.
The conclusion that Google's advisory board has come to is likely to upset both European regulators and privacy advocates. Not only that, but it's also likely to continue to thrust privacy and in particular the right to be forgotten, into the minds of the general public.
