Google wins in landmark right to be forgotten case against France

The Court of Justice of the European Union (CJUE) ruled in a case opposing France and Google that the EU’s right to be forgotten does not apply globally. EU’s top court indicated there is no obligation under EU law for a search engine operator to extend the 2014 ruling beyond the EU member states. According to Reuters, the case arose after France’s CNIL fined Google 100,000 euros for refusing to delist sensitive information from internet search results globally upon request. Google had opposed this decision, by arguing that the obligation could be abused by authoritarian governments trying to cover up human rights abuses were it to be applied outside of Europe. However, the Guardian reports that the ruling adds that a search engine operator must put measures in place to discourage internet users from going outside the EU to find that information.