Google launches 'right to be forgotten' form after European Union ruling

Just over three weeks after it was ordered to do so by the European Union, Google has launched a form that will allow users to request specific news about them be erased from the search engine.

Earlier this month, the Court of Justice of the European Union ruled that people have the “right to be forgotten” on the web, if they request it. The ruling followed complaints from Mario Costeja Gonzalez of Spain, who discovered that 1998 articles about his home being repossessed were still online and came up in a Google search for his name. He wanted Google to pull the articles and the court ruled in his favor.

Now, Google has launched the removal request form in compliance with the European data protection law. Citizens in the 28 EU member states can now request stories about their past be removed.

As PCMag points out, Google was not happy about the decision, which it had appealed in the past and won, until this month’s ruling.

“We will assess each individual request and attempt to balance the privacy rights of the individual with the public's right to know and distribute information,” Google explained on the form. Users will have to provide specific links to articles they want removed, as well as their address and a photo ID.

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