Google promised the European Union (EU) that it would comply with the "right to be forgotten" rule, which allows users to request for removal of online information in search engine results.
The European court ruled earlier this month that Internet companies should remove personal and sensitive information considered outdated, irrelevant or excessive. The decision came after Mario Costeja Gonzalez of Spain filed a complaint against Google for showing links from a 1998 newspaper article related to the repossession of his home whenever his name was searched. The case was just one of 220 complaints against the search engine giant.
Google CEO Larry Page expressed his concern about the new ruling, as it could harm future Internet startups and reinforce the government's control on online data. The "right to be forgotten" rule was expected to take down large amounts of private online information stored in Google's search engine.
European users who would like to remove their information must submit an online form beginning Friday. Internet leaders would then coordinate with Google to remove any page considered obsolete and detrimental to the user, but public information such as pertinent articles would be retained.
In line with the new ruling, Google decided to set up a committee to be headed by chairman Eric Schmidt and general counsel David Drummond to attend hearings in Europe regarding privacy issues.
"I wish we'd been more involved in a real debate... in Europe," Page said in an interview with the Financial Times. "That's one of the things we've taken from this, that we're starting the process of really going and talking to people."
Meanwhile, EU justice commissioner Viviane Reding clarified in an emailed statement to Bloomberg that the "right to be forgotten" was not a new rule, but rather a reinforcement of an existing law.
"It was about time Google took measures to comply with European data protection laws that have existed since 1995. The move demonstrates that fears of practical impossibility raised before were unfounded," Reding wrote.
