The Case That Won't Be Forgotten

Google Spain, a 2014 ruling from Europe's highest court, changed the internet forever. It established the so-called "right to be forgotten," better named the "right to delist." In particular, it upheld a Spanish businessman's argument that personal information should be prevented from appearing on Google name searches when that information had lost its timeliness, relevance, or accuracy, and if it holds no public interest.

From an author with first-hand experience of the political, technical, institutional, and public fall-out of the case, this comprehensive article is a deep dive into why the right to be forgotten matters, as well as the complexities and dynamics of the various actors involved, from the media, to regulators, to that ever-more powerful tech giant, "the East India Company of the digital age," Google.