A Right to Be Forgotten?

In 2014, the European Union's Court of Justice determined that individuals have a right to be forgotten, "the right-under certain conditions-to ask search engines to remove links with personal information about them." It is not absolute, but meant to be balanced against other fundamental rights, like freedom of expression. In the half year since the Court's decision, Google has received over 180,000 removal requests. Of those reviewed and processed, 40.5% were granted. Largely seen as a victory in Europe, in the U.S., the reaction has been overwhelmingly negative. Was this ruling a blow to free speech and public information, or a win for privacy and human dignity? Read more.