Do people have the right to be forgotten?

1

I’ve read a news story about a person who wants their past to be erased from the Internet:

I’d like to know what you think:

Do people have a right to be forgotten?
  • Yes
  • No
  • Maybe

0 voters

2

I think people have the right to be forgotten. I can see this as an important tool to repair one’s reputation especially after any formal punishment has been served. It also serves as a formal mechanism to fight doxxing.

1 Like
3

I also think people should have the right to be forgotten. I believe in redemption after time served, much like you’ve intimated here and the idea/fear of deep and enduring digital traces is part of the reason why I have ended up where I am in terms of a career.

This being said, I can see conflicts between an unbridled right to be forgotten and free expression/public interest; in the article which is linked above, it’s clear to me that Mr Kaushik had served the punishment that society deemed just for what he did, and I have no bones with this information disappearing in order to provide him with the opportunity for a future without this baggage. I reckon there would be some cases where it might be more difficult to make that call.