Cybersecurity concepts and applications

Cyber Security and Europe

While on the one hand, I like that people have more control over their own personal lives by being able to delist information from search engines, I have to admit that on the other hand I do see how this right could be abused—especially by bad actors who want to hide their criminal history. Yet there are some things to know about this law that would sway me to support it.

First, it should be noted that the right to be forgotten is not an absolute right. There are exceptions for cases where the public interest outweighs an individual’s privacy rights. For example, if someone has been convicted of a crime, their personal data can still be published online. This ensures that the right to be forgotten does not become a tool for criminals to evade justice (Minc, 2021). Second, the right to be forgotten does not mean that information will be completely erased from the internet. It simply means that individuals will have more control over their personal data and who has access to it. This is a positive development for privacy rights, as it gives individuals more control over their own information. Finally, the right to be forgotten could actually help to prevent internet censorship. In many countries, governments censor online content that they deem to be harmful or offensive. However, if individuals have the right to request that their personal data be removed from online accounts or services, then it becomes much more difficult for governments to censor content, as they would need to remove everyone’s personal data from a given website or service in order to prevent people from accessing it (Weber, 2011). In conclusion, the right to be forgotten is a positive development for privacy rights and freedom of expression. It gives individuals more control over their personal data and makes it more difficult for governments to censor online content.