Bing to Offer Europeans the Right to be Forgotten
- By Matt Holden
- Jul 18, 2014
Microsoft has started accepting requests from users in Europe who want to remove search links from Bing under a recent “right-to-be-forgotten” ruling by Europe’s top court. European residents who want Microsoft to block search results for their name that show up on Bing must fill out a four-part online form.
The form asks for the name and country of each person, whether or not the person is a public figure or has or expects a role that involves trust, leadership and safety.
Microsoft is not guaranteeing removal of certain links after they are submitted, and it will also consider other sources of information to verify or supplement what is provided in the form. This information helps the company “consider the balance” between the applicants’ individual privacy interest and the public interest in protecting free expression.
This comes after the Court of Justice of the European Union ruled in May that people who want search engines to remove search results referring to their names can file a request directly with the search engine operator. A refusal by the operator can be appealed in a court.
Google has received over 70,000 take-down requests spreading across 250,000 web pages since they set up a similar service in May.
About the Author
Matt Holden is an Associate Content Editor for 1105 Media, Inc. He received his MFA and BA in journalism from Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana. He currently writes and edits for Occupational Health & Safety magazine, and Security Today.