ECJ ruling states that Google must delete online search results about people if they can prove that the information is clearly inaccurate

In a ruling of 8 December 2022, the  European Court of Justice (ECJ) ruled that search engines must “dereference information” if the person making the request can demonstrate that the material is “manifestly inaccurate”.

Europeans already have the right to ask Google and other search engines to delete links to outdated or embarrassing information about themselves, even if it is true, under a principle known as the “right to be forgotten” enshrined in the GDPR.

The case came after a claim of two individuals listed in serach engine and on photo thumbnails and requesting delisting from both search and image serach results. A German court subsequently sought advice from the ECJ on the balance between the right to be forgotten and the right to freedom of expression and information.

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