Google does not have to remove links to sensitive personal data globally, EU’s top court rules

Google does not have to remove links to sensitive personal data globally, EU’s top court rules

Google is not required to remove links to sensitive personal data globally, the EU’s top court ruled on Tuesday (September 24).

France’s privacy watchdog CNIL fined Google €100,000 in 2016 for refusing to delist sensitive information from internet search results globally upon request in what is called the “right to be forgotten”.

But the tech giant appealed, leading to today’s ruling.

The “right to be forgotten” was established following a landmark ruling in 2014 involving a Spanish citizen’s claim against material about him found on Google searches.

It allows European citizens to ask search engines to remove links to irrelevant or outdated information about them.

Tuesday’s ruling means Google will now only have to remove links to irrelevant material for people in Europe and not worldwide.