It is a question that has arisen largely over the past year or so over the rights of individuals to anonymity online. Based on a ruling from the European Union Court of Justice that said Google must limit users ability to search for ordinary, or average, individuals' outdated or "irrelevant" data must be erased if and when it is requested.
The case, which saw a Spanish man complain that Google search which revealed an older auction notice for his repossessed home had been an infringement of privacy, which the court upheld.
For Google, the ruling [pdf] could be a watershed moment that would allow citizens to demand that their certain information not be made public. A Google spokesperson said the ruling by the European court was "disappointing."
But there is massive support from citizens' rights groups who say the "right to be forgotten" should be a right that all people have. European Union Commissioner Viviane Reding called the court's ruling a "clear victory for the protection of personal data of Europeans."
The ruling does not affect Americans.
It could, however, lead to a massive increase of court cases from individuals seeking to have personal information or private content censored online. Lawyers will begin to assess on an individual basis about what the law will mean in practice and if Google will seek an appeal of some kind.
It does not mean, however, that individuals can have an article or specific story taken down from the Internet simply because they are in disagreement with the content. The ruling states that the decision is based on personal data on private citizens. Those in public life, such as politicians or celebrities or other visible public people, will not have the full authority to ask for searches to be removed as part of a public interest defense.
Google appears extremely disappointed by the ruling, which is the first major defeat in the battle over search rights. The likelihood of Google trying to take more legal action to reverse the ruling seems unlikely, as per the Google spokesperson.
"We now need to take time to analyze the implications," the spokesperson said.
Privacy and personal information have become a major tipping point online and in search results, with many people demanding that Google do more to ensure the privacy and anonymity of average people are safeguarded. Google has promoted its search as the most comprehensive and until now, has only slightly censored results in China.
