Infographic: How does the right to be forgotten work?

Following the introduction of the right to be forgotten online, we take a look back at the key points of this measure. Using the infographic below, you can check whether you are eligible to request the delisting of results, review the steps needed to submit your request, or learn about the options available if your request is unsuccessful.

A right to be forgotten, but no right to make mistakes

Take great care to draft your request correctly: you have the right to be forgotten, but not the right to make mistakes. Only one request per URL will be accepted, and if you make a mistake you won’t be able to go back (with Google, at least). Carefully write the justification that will be read by the search engines’ legal teams. To make this step easier, Forget.me offers texts tailored to many situations, written by lawyers. You can submit several requests only if they concern different URLs.

The line between public and private figures

If you are a public figure, you cannot claim the right to be forgotten. However, the line between a public figure and a non-public figure is still blurry. If you are a movie star, it is obvious that you will be considered a public figure. On the other hand, if you are the mayor of a small town or the head of an SME, the answer is less clear. This question will no doubt be clarified in the coming months, thanks to the many cases that search engines will have to handle, the work of the G29 and any future case law or legislation.

Two right-to-be-forgotten forms available online: Google and Bing

For now, only Google and Bing have set up a form allowing you to submit your right to be forgotten requests. However, it is likely that other search engines, such as Yahoo, plan to offer their own form. Forget.me saves you time by submitting your request to Google and Bing simultaneously.

The right-to-be-forgotten form: a first level of recourse

Submitting a request via a search engine’s form is only a first level of recourse. If your requests are refused, you can also turn to the CNIL or take the matter to your country’s courts.

The right to be forgotten online is now implemented through a practical and easily accessible process. This means that each of us can benefit from the right to be forgotten. Given that 75%1 of European citizens want to be able to exercise a right to be forgotten, it is a step that could well become part of our habits.

1 Eurobarometer survey on citizens’ attitudes towards data protection and electronic identity, published today by the European Commission ( http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_IP-11-742_fr.htm?locale=en )