Google to meet with EU data regulators over 'right to be forgotten' ruling

The US internet giant has come under-fire for its handling of the controversial 'right to be forgotten' rule, allowing users to remove old information about them on the search engine.

Google has received more than 70,000 requests for links to be taken down since the 'right to be forgotten' ruling was made.

Joe Krishnan24 July 2014

Google will face data regulators from the European Union to discuss the implications of the recent "right to be forgotten" ruling.

An EU court ruling in May meant that any links to irrelevant and out-of-date information should be erased from search engines on request, with critics suggesting this could be a form of censorship.

It is believed European commissioners are keen to tackle the issue of how Google reject data removal requests from people. Google had previously said it would assess each request and balance "privacy rights of the individual with the public's right to know and distribute information".

Since the ruling was made, the decision, and Google's handling of requests, has been hotly contested by internet experts, however.

The UK's data commissioner Christopher Graham said he expects a "tsunami" of complaints from people requesting that pieces of information are removed, and stated that the American company have an obligation to handle the issue.

"The polluter pays, the polluter should clear up," he said while speaking to BBC Radio 5 Live.

"Google is a massive commercial organisation making millions and millions out of processing people's personal information. They're going to have to do some tidying up."

Google, which has publicly expressed its disagreement with the court's decision, is understood to have received more than 70,000 requests for links to be taken down since the court ruling was made.

Microsoft and Yahoo are also set to attend the meeting on Thursday in Brussels.