Policy Observatory

On 9 September, European and international civil rights organisations submitted an open letter (pdf) to Google’s Advisory Council on their assessment of the so-called “right to be forgotten”. The groups urge the Council’s members to avoid inadvertently delaying the adoption of the data protection reform package.

The current Polish Data Protection Commissioner (DPC) will remain on his post for another, second term after the Polish Parliament confirmed his nomination on 25 July 2014. The decision did not come as a surprise: Wojciech Wiewiórowski was the only candidate for the post and has an excellent background for the role. Just like during the previous nomination process four years ago, EDRi member Panoptykon monitored the process, to ensure its transparency to the public. However, as there was only one – undisputed – candidate for the role, the scope of the monitoring activities was reduced.

The Court decision highlights the urgency of reform. The ruling on the right to be forgotten is a milestone in the enforcement of European citizens' fundamental right to data protection. The Court had to step in and take a stance because Europe lacks modern data protection rules that are fit for the internet age.

The recent ruling by the European Court of Justice on the right to be forgotten does not give the all-clear for people or organisations to have content removed from the web simply because they find it inconvenient. Far from it. It calls for a balance between the legitimate interests of internet users and citizens' fundamental rights. A balance that will have to be found in each case.

We will talk with France about how we can maintain a high level of data protection. Above all, we will discuss which European providers we have who offer security to citizens. So that you don't have to cross the Atlantic with emails and other things, but also can build up communication networks within Europe, said Merkel.

EDRi-member Effi ry has launched a web service for citizens to request the data protection authorities to verify that any records in various law enforcement and secret services registries are filed according to the relevant regulations. Previously, this kind of request required detailed knowledge of relevant registers, leaving the process practically unavailable for the majority of citizens. The service created by Effi ry provides citizens with an immediate and easy-to-use tool to submit their request to check the legality of any records connected to them in these databases that are otherwise inaccessible.