Google case to test ‘right to be forgotten’

Google is facing an EU court ruling today on whether it can be ordered to remove material from its search engine in a case that may set boundaries between publishing freedom and privacy rights.

The EU Court of Justice has been asked to weigh in on a Spanish dispute over the so-called right to be forgotten, where people can request web firms to delete personal details on servers.

In 2012, the European Commission proposed such a right as part of an overhaul of data-protection rules that may be finalised this year.

The row raises questions about the scope of privacy rules when it comes to personal data; the rights of search engines to use data to remain commercially successful; and who is in charge of what happens to data.