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| Google Reinstates Some Links in Europe | Google Reinstates Some Links in Europe |
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| LONDON — A day after a furor erupted over Google’s notifying European news organizations that certain articles would no longer appear in some Internet searches, the American technology giant has changed tack. | |
| Google has told The Guardian that several of its articles have now been reinstated after the British newspaper complained to the search engine about the links being removed from certain European Internet searches. | Google has told The Guardian that several of its articles have now been reinstated after the British newspaper complained to the search engine about the links being removed from certain European Internet searches. |
| Some of the articles were from 2010 about a soccer referee, now retired, who had been accused of lying about why he had awarded a penalty kick in a match in Scotland. | Some of the articles were from 2010 about a soccer referee, now retired, who had been accused of lying about why he had awarded a penalty kick in a match in Scotland. |
| The turnabout underscores the difficulties being encountered in the wake of a recent ruling by the European Court of Justice in Luxembourg that gives people a so-called right to be forgotten, allowing them to ask that links to information about themselves be taken down from Internet search results in Europe. | |
| The seemingly arbitrary way that Google removed, then reinstated, some links, also highlights the current lack of transparency about how the ruling is overseen. | The seemingly arbitrary way that Google removed, then reinstated, some links, also highlights the current lack of transparency about how the ruling is overseen. |
| Under the European court’s decision, people must first make requests to Google and to other search engines for links to be removed. Only if they are not satisfied with that decision can individuals ask their national regulator to intervene to make a final decision. | Under the European court’s decision, people must first make requests to Google and to other search engines for links to be removed. Only if they are not satisfied with that decision can individuals ask their national regulator to intervene to make a final decision. |
| The court’s ruling also did not provide guidance on whether affected websites like that of The Guardian and the BBC could ask search engines to reconsider its initial decision to remove links to specific articles. Currently, it is the responsibility of Google, and not the regulator, to decide whether links should be reinstated. | The court’s ruling also did not provide guidance on whether affected websites like that of The Guardian and the BBC could ask search engines to reconsider its initial decision to remove links to specific articles. Currently, it is the responsibility of Google, and not the regulator, to decide whether links should be reinstated. |
| Raegan MacDonald, the European policy manager for the digital rights group Access, who is based in Brussels, said that it should not be Google’s role to make a call about what is relevant. “That’s not favorable; it’s not up to a company to make that decision,” she said. | Raegan MacDonald, the European policy manager for the digital rights group Access, who is based in Brussels, said that it should not be Google’s role to make a call about what is relevant. “That’s not favorable; it’s not up to a company to make that decision,” she said. |
| The British data regulator, the Information Commissioner’s Office, which would be the final arbiter on whether the removal of links to articles from British media organizations complies with the European court’s decision, said it had yet to receive requests from individuals who were not satisfied with Google’s initial decision to remove links or not. | The British data regulator, the Information Commissioner’s Office, which would be the final arbiter on whether the removal of links to articles from British media organizations complies with the European court’s decision, said it had yet to receive requests from individuals who were not satisfied with Google’s initial decision to remove links or not. |
| “We expect them pretty soon,” a spokesman for the office said, adding that requests could start arriving over the next seven days. | “We expect them pretty soon,” a spokesman for the office said, adding that requests could start arriving over the next seven days. |
| Under Europe’s privacy rules, Google cannot give any specific details to The Guardian, BBC or other media outlets about who asked for the links to be removed. | Under Europe’s privacy rules, Google cannot give any specific details to The Guardian, BBC or other media outlets about who asked for the links to be removed. |
| The deleted links also included those to a BBC article from 2007 by Robert Peston, the organization’s economics editor, about E. Stanley O’Neal, the former chief of the investment bank Merrill Lynch, and his role in the losses the company suffered during the financial crisis. | The deleted links also included those to a BBC article from 2007 by Robert Peston, the organization’s economics editor, about E. Stanley O’Neal, the former chief of the investment bank Merrill Lynch, and his role in the losses the company suffered during the financial crisis. |
| It was unclear on Friday whether links to Mr. Peston’s article had been reinstated. A representative for the BBC was not immediately available for comment. | It was unclear on Friday whether links to Mr. Peston’s article had been reinstated. A representative for the BBC was not immediately available for comment. |
| But in a sign that Google is wrestling with how to deal with the right to online privacy and freedom of expression, Peter Barron, Google’s director of communications for Europe, told a British radio program on Friday that the company was going through a “learning process” about how to carry out the court’s judgment. | But in a sign that Google is wrestling with how to deal with the right to online privacy and freedom of expression, Peter Barron, Google’s director of communications for Europe, told a British radio program on Friday that the company was going through a “learning process” about how to carry out the court’s judgment. |
| “We have to balance the need for transparency with the need to protect people’s identities,” Mr. Barron said. | “We have to balance the need for transparency with the need to protect people’s identities,” Mr. Barron said. |
| The requests to Google for links to be taken down are mounting. | The requests to Google for links to be taken down are mounting. |
| Around two-thirds of the more than 70,000 current requests have come from France, Germany, Britain, Spain and Italy, Google said. People in France have submitted the most requests, followed by Germany and Britain. | Around two-thirds of the more than 70,000 current requests have come from France, Germany, Britain, Spain and Italy, Google said. People in France have submitted the most requests, followed by Germany and Britain. |
| On average, each request relates to 3.8 links. That would equate, so far, to a total of roughly a quarter of a million links on Google’s search results in Europe. | On average, each request relates to 3.8 links. That would equate, so far, to a total of roughly a quarter of a million links on Google’s search results in Europe. |
| While many have criticized Google for what they see as censoring press freedom, the court’s decision solely related to allowing people to request that their names not show up in search results when the information is “inadequate, irrelevant or no longer relevant.” | While many have criticized Google for what they see as censoring press freedom, the court’s decision solely related to allowing people to request that their names not show up in search results when the information is “inadequate, irrelevant or no longer relevant.” |
| For links to be removed from search results, individuals — either in Europe or potentially from outside the union — must submit requests related to specific names. The same posts, however, will still show up by searching keywords from the article — but not the individual’s name — even in European searches. | For links to be removed from search results, individuals — either in Europe or potentially from outside the union — must submit requests related to specific names. The same posts, however, will still show up by searching keywords from the article — but not the individual’s name — even in European searches. |
| All the links also remain available on search domains outside Europe, like Google.com and Microsoft’s Bing search engines outside the region. | All the links also remain available on search domains outside Europe, like Google.com and Microsoft’s Bing search engines outside the region. |
| While the latest ruling has been difficult to implement, Europe’s new data privacy regulation could prove even more difficult to comply with. That’s because the proposed rules, which are expected to be completed next year and to come into force no later than 2017, would allow individuals to request a similar level of online privacy from other parts of the Internet, and not just from search engines in Europe. However, the proposal includes certain exemptions for media outlets and research projects. | While the latest ruling has been difficult to implement, Europe’s new data privacy regulation could prove even more difficult to comply with. That’s because the proposed rules, which are expected to be completed next year and to come into force no later than 2017, would allow individuals to request a similar level of online privacy from other parts of the Internet, and not just from search engines in Europe. However, the proposal includes certain exemptions for media outlets and research projects. |
| “The scope of the court’s decision was limited,” said Peter Church, an associate at the law firm Linklaters in London. “It only applies to people’s names in search results. The new regulation will be much wider because it will apply to more than search engines.” | “The scope of the court’s decision was limited,” said Peter Church, an associate at the law firm Linklaters in London. “It only applies to people’s names in search results. The new regulation will be much wider because it will apply to more than search engines.” |