Google is trying to make sense of a sweeping decision about the Internet. In May, the European Court of Justice ruled that people have the right to be forgotten. That is, if you don't like something about you that pops up on a Google search, you can make Google hide that result.
The top court left a lot of room for interpretation. Google could have dragged its feet or waited for privacy regulators in the European Union to give more direction. Instead the search giant has moved swiftly to implement the ruling. But it's hitting some bumps.
A Simple Application
Let's start with the easy-to-use form.
Rafael Rodrguez Lpez, a local journalist in Vigo, Spain, has volunteered to fill it out. He finds a search result about him that is not a professional byline. It's a link to a silly article he shared with friends, on the racy ways you can get rid of the common cold.
"Anyone could see that I shared that kind of article," he says.
It takes him just a few minutes to check the right boxes on the Google form and explain his rationale. He also has to upload a picture ID — say from school or a driver's license with the serial numbers blacked out — to prove he is the Rafael Rodrguez Lpez in question.
Typically, official processes take a lot of paperwork and visits to bureaucracies. He's impressed: "This is relatively easy and quick for the Spanish standards."
Tough Balancing Act
The form may be simple. But the underlying law is not. Privacy and freedom of speech are both written into the European Union charter. Under the court ruling, search engines have to balance these bedrock rights.
Google feels stuck between a rock and a hard place. In a statement released on Friday, the company says it's received over 70,000 applications; it is putting every single one through human review; and the court order sets up tests that are "very vague and subjective."
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