Is Google responsible for links to old websites that can hurt your reputation? A top court in the European Union says the answer is yes.
The European Court of Justice ruled Tuesday that consumers have the "right to be forgotten" and can ask Google to remove damaging links. Google has said the ruling is "disappointing" and is tantamount to censorship. "We now need to take time to analyse the implications," a spokesperson told the BBC.
The case is based on a complaint by a Spanish man who argued that an auction note on his repossessed home damaged his reputation. Newspaper La Vanguardia published that information in 1998.
In a Facebook post, EU Justice Commissioner Viviane Reding hailed the ruling as a "clear victory for the protection of personal data for Europeans."