Thursday

28th Mar 2024

EU sides with Google in data protection case

The European Commission has said it backs Google's victory at the EU court against the French data protection watchdog CNIL, in a case allowing people to have their names removed from search engine results.

The tech giant support from the Brussels-executive followed a ruling on Tuesday (23 September) at the European Court of Justice in Luxembourg in a legal battle between the right to privacy and free speech.

Read and decide

Join EUobserver today

Get the EU news that really matters

Instant access to all articles — and 20 years of archives. 14-day free trial.

... or subscribe as a group

A European Commission spokesman told reporters in Brussels that the Luxembourg judgement was "in line with the position the European Commission took in this case."

That line means Google will not now be required to remove the names of people that appear in search engine results when queried from sites outside of the European Union, if it is so requested.

Google received more than 3m requests in Europe to delete links from search results since 2014, and complied with almost half of the demands.

But the French CNIL in 2015 told Google it had to delist the names worldwide. Google refused, resulting in a €100,000 fine and a case now settled by the EU's top court.

"The CNIL considered that if a link about an individual living in France was delisted, the information about him or her should not be accessible anymore, regardless of the country from which the search was carried out," the CNIL said, in a statement.

The CNIL, like all EU state data protection authorities, is tasked to ensure compliance of the EU data protection regulation, also known as GDPR.

But the Luxembourg judge disagreed, siding with Google along with the backing of the European Commission, when it comes to the so-called 'right to be forgotten'.

The right entitles people to ask search engine operators like Google to delist their names from search results.

'No comment'

The CNIL is part of the European Data Protection Board (EDPB), a Brussels-based body in charge of ensuring the consistent application of EU data protection rules.

Asked by EUobserver to comment on the case, the chair of the EDPB declined.

The CNIL says it will now study the ruling over the next few days and then publish the results as a FAQ on its website.

It has also yet to respond when asked if it was surprised by the European Commission siding with Google in the case.

Patrick Breyer, a German MEP and member of the Pirate Party, also weighed in.

He said the blocking of search engine references to legal content is more of an issue of regulators imposing barriers on the internet.

"Internet users should avoid using Google anyway because it is spying on them in order to manipulate and exploit them commercially," he said.

Analysis

GDPR does not (yet) give right to global oblivion

The 'right to be forgotten' will become enshrined in EU law on Friday, but it is not yet clear to what extent it will apply. Will the EU's law determine how the internet looks globally?

Investigation

'Redacted' - what Google and Microsoft told Mogherini on AI

Is Mogherini's 'Global Tech Panel' just a talking shop, or does it contribute to EU policy? New documents suggest the latter, but give little clue how technology leaders from Microsoft and Google influence new AI strategy.

EU 'tax lady' hits Google with record fine

Margrethe Vestager has fined the US tech giant with €4.34bn for abusing its market dominance in mobile operating systems - but assured US president Donald Trump that it is not because she does not like America.

Opinion

Google, Fitbit, and a big decision for EU Commission

In the coming days the European Commission seems poised to green-light the acquisition of Fitbit by Google. The deal is a major threat to human rights and must be stopped in its tracks.

Opinion

Why are Google's consultants advising on EU monopoly policy?

The EU Commission has outsourced its merger policy to a consultancy which counts Google as its best friend. And it's not the first time the Commission has hired consultants with a vested interest for policy advice.

Online giants could face 10% fines under new EU law

The European Commission unveiled on Tuesday a package of proposals that set out legal obligations for digital platforms aimed at tackling illegal content and unfair practices in today's digital environment.

Opinion

Potential legal avenues to prosecute Navalny's killers

The UN could launch an independent international investigation into Navalny's killing, akin to investigation I conducted on Jamal Khashoggi's assassination, or on Navalny's Novichok poisoning, in my role as special rapporteur on extrajudicial executions, writes the secretary-general of Amnesty International.

Opinion

I'll be honest — Moldova's judicial system isn't fit for EU

To state a plain truth: at present, Moldova does not have a justice system worthy of a EU member state; it is riven with corruption and lax and inconsistent standards, despite previous attempts at reform, writes Moldova's former justice minister.

Latest News

  1. Lawyer suing Frontex takes aim at 'antagonistic' judges
  2. Orban's Fidesz faces low-polling jitters ahead of EU election
  3. German bank freezes account of Jewish peace group
  4. EU Modernisation Fund: an open door for fossil gas in Romania
  5. 'Swiftly dial back' interest rates, ECB told
  6. Moscow's terror attack, security and Gaza
  7. Why UK-EU defence and security deal may be difficult
  8. EU unveils plan to create a European cross-border degree

Stakeholders' Highlights

  1. Nordic Council of MinistersJoin the Nordic Food Systems Takeover at COP28
  2. Nordic Council of MinistersHow women and men are affected differently by climate policy
  3. Nordic Council of MinistersArtist Jessie Kleemann at Nordic pavilion during UN climate summit COP28
  4. Nordic Council of MinistersCOP28: Gathering Nordic and global experts to put food and health on the agenda
  5. Friedrich Naumann FoundationPoems of Liberty – Call for Submission “Human Rights in Inhume War”: 250€ honorary fee for selected poems
  6. World BankWorld Bank report: How to create a future where the rewards of technology benefit all levels of society?

Join EUobserver

EU news that matters

Join us