Consumer Watchdog In The U.S. Complains To FTC To Force Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOGL) To Allow Right To Forget

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The Consumer Watchdog in the U.S. has filed a complaint against Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOGL) to the Federal Trade Commission for not allowing the users to eliminate irrelevant information from the search results. According to Google, it is committed to ensuring the users privacy. But, denying the user’s right to wipe out inappropriate information is unfair and deceptive.

Google has implemented right to be forgotten option in Europe after a ruling. The company has started removing the outdated and inappropriate information from all of the domains in the EU. A privacy regulator in France has directed Google to remove all such results from every version.

The company has so far honored around 41% of the user requests that total more than a million in Europe. It has completely eliminated sensitive information such as credit card numbers and social security numbers from the search results. It also started eliminating revenge porn links from the previous month.

The users in the U.S. are urging the internet giant to implement the same feature here too. John Simpson, the project director of the consumer watchdog in the U.S. said Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOGL) is already willing to remove links pertaining to inappropriate information. Therefore, the company can easily roll out the scheme to honor user requests in the U.S.

What is the importance of removing irrelevant search results in the U.S?

For example, if a person commits a misdeed and it goes viral, the person should have a right to remove that information from the web. Otherwise, it will remain in the web and one can discover it even after 30 years. It harms the future of an individual, family or a group. They will be penalized for the mistake for the whole life.

A debate is going on in the U.S. for shielding the misdeeds committed by the users from the search results. The two fraternity members from the University of Oklahoma are expelled after a viral racist chant this week. What will happen after 30 years to their future if the results are not removed from the web?

To save such misdeeds, the user groups in the U.S. are advocating for the right to forget act.