The right to be forgotten (also known as the “right to erasure,” is the right to have search information removed from the internet and other directories. Since 2014, European Union citizens have had the ability to request links to webpages that contain delicate personal information about themselves to be deleted. It is thought that it would be in humanities best interests to not be continually “judged, stigmatized, and punished as a consequence of some long ago minor infraction that does not accurately represent who they are today” (www.inc.com). Google argues that countries outside of the European Union could use the right to be forgotten to cover up human rights abuses. In the United States, the right to be forgotten contradicts the First Amendment of the US Constitution, which gives US citizens the freedom of speech and freedom of the press.
I think people should forget about the right to be forgotten. If you broke the law, then you broke the law. If something happened, then it happened. Once something has been written, then it’s been written. There is no way to unpublish something that has been published. People need to own up to things that have happened in their lives. I’ve personally done some stupid things in my life that can be found out through a simple Google search. I don’t brag about them, but I’m not going to try to hide the fact that I’ve made mistakes. The right to be forgotten sounds like it was created by people who don’t understand the internet works. Once something is out there on the internet, it’s there forever. It’s unfortunate for some people, but it’s true. The internet is forever.
Works Cited
Why Americans Need and Deserve The Right To Be Forgotten. Steinberg, Joseph. 7 Feb 2018. https://www.inc.com/joseph-steinberg/why-americans-need-deserve-right-to-be-forgotten.html