Google Loses ‘Right to be Forgotten’ Case Appeal in UK

Google has lost a “right to be forgotten” case appeal in the United Kingdom, after they previously rejected a citizen’s request.

Though European Union citizens have a legal right to request that search engines delist certain negative results about them, Google reportedly refuses over 56 percent of requests.

However, one citizen, who was part of the 56 percent who had their requests refused, filed an appeal and won.

“The search result in question involved a decade-old criminal conviction, reportedly for ‘conspiracy to intercept communications.’ A similar case was decided the other way by the court. The judge distinguished the facts of the two cases and the attitudes of those making the requests,” reported Search Engine Land, who added, “It’s probably safe to say that this ruling will encourage others similarly denied by Google to seek redress in the courts. However, it’s not entirely clear what criteria will be applied to decide if Google acted correctly or incorrectly in making its decision.”

Last year, it was reported that Britain planned to strengthen its citizens’ “right to be forgotten,” while in February, Google claimed to have received over 2.4 million European requests to be forgotten.