Human rights are a sensitive issue in the UK, but according to new findings from a study conducted by Ipsos MORI on behalf of TRUSTe, 64% of British internet users agree that the digital “right to be forgotten” should indeed be a human right.
The “right to be forgotten” ruling from May 2014 allows EU citizens to ask search engines to remove links to their personal information when the information is inaccurate, insufficient, irrelevant or excessive. Since the ruling, there has been much debate about whether individuals should be able to edit their online identities to protect their privacy, especially if that information is believed to be irrelevant.
The TRUSTe/Ipsos survey was based on a sample of 1,000 adults aged 16-75 surveyed between November 28 and December 5, 2014. And despite a clear majority in favour of the ruling, with 68% agreeing that it helps individuals to strengthen the protection of their personal data, it also found that 44% of UK web users believe that censorship should be allowed. Furthermore, almost a quarter believe that the ‘right to be forgotten’ is impractical.
“Despite the fact that Europeans are known for the value they place on protecting their privacy, our research shows that British internet users are actually more sceptical about the ‘right to be forgotten’ than Americans, with 44% agreeing that censorship should be allowed compared to 29% of Americans,” said Chris Babel, CEO of TRUSTe. “The ‘right to be forgotten’ gives EU citizens greater control over their online identity. But most importantly, the decision to be forgotten presents challenges for online advertisers and search engines who have the difficult task of allocating significant resources to support the large number of incoming requests.”
