Commenting on the recent articles removed from search engines by Google, Jodie Ginsberg, CEO of Index on Censorship, said:

“As Index on Censorship warned when the ruling was delivered last month the ‘right to be forgotten’ is a blunt instrument ruling that opens the door for widespread censorship and the whitewashing of the past.

Private companies like Google should not have been handed the power to make decisions – that lack any kind of transparency and accountability – about what information can and cannot be found on the internet.”

Further information:

Index urges court to rethink ruling on “right to be forgotten” (30 May, 2014)

Are search engines the ultimate arbiters of information? (14 May, 2014)

Index blasts EU court ruling on “right to be forgotten” (13 May, 2014)