Internet Users Have a Right to 'Disappear' and Forgotten

The European Commission proposed a policy of rights for Internet users to remove an embarrassing picture or online content which is considered capable of threatening their careers and lives.


SAN FRANCISCO - The European Commission proposed a policy of rights for Internet users to remove the photos embarrassing or unwanted online content, which is considered capable of threatening their careers and social lives.

The proposal gives the right to 'disappear and be forgotten' This appears in line with the increasing popularity of digital technology, along with the increasingly widespread use of social networking. Today social networking is a storage device 'memories' are pretty reliable, good memories in the form of photos, video and written.

Along with that also the fears of the negative influence of social networks on career, social and personal lives, they started sticking. The reason is, 'negative memories' that are stored on the internet can be accessed anytime and anywhere, via search engines, even though the user feels has been removed though.

Not a few internet users who must have failed to find a job, going through divorce in the household, or humiliated in public, just because of their personal online content is no longer their expected appearance.

The European Commission feels internet users should have the right to disappear. In addition to the above reasons, the European Commission admitted that he had received many complaints related to privacy policies, especially in the up. Even some members of the commission who experience similar things. Most of them complained when up, and other media on the Internet, is still only raises the profile picture as well as undesirable even though the user has deleted it.

European Commission for human rights affairs, Viviane Reding, said that if the Internet user must have effective control over what they post in cyberspace, and they also have the right to correct, withdraw reintroduction of such content, and even delete them.

"What would happen if you want your profile on social networking site deleted? Will this be done easily? Therefore, the right to 'disappear' and be forgotten is of sufficient importance in the digital world," said Reding, such as quoted by the Telegraph on Friday (11/05/2010).

Besides worrying about the difficulty of eliminating unwanted personal information, Reding also questioned why Internet users are not given detailed information about why and for what content can continue to be accessed and stored on site or search engine.

"They should be given the right to do anything about the content and personal information are more desirable appearance. Whether it still wants to be accessed, revised, or eliminated, all the rights of content owners. They should have this right freely and without coercion," said Reding.

sari, okezone.com, Updated: 11/5/2010 11:06 AM