EU court backs 'right to be forgotten' in Google case

In a hugely significant development, the European Union Court of Justice (ECJ) has today ruled that Google must amend some search results at the request of ordinary people in a test of the so-called "right to be forgotten".

The European Commission proposed a law giving users the "right to be forgotten" back in 2012. It would require search engines to edit some searches to make them compliant with the European directive on the protection of personal data. In its ruling the ECJ said links to “irrelevant” and outdated data should be erased on request.

EU Justice Commissioner, Viviane Reding, welcomed the decision saying it was a "clear victory for the protection of personal data of Europeans". Google meanwhile said the ruling was "disappointing" and that they “now need to take time to analyse the implications.”