Right to be forgotten and unpublishing content tested in court

The Supreme Court of Canada has overturned a court order that would have forced the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) to remove articles which pre‑existed the publication ban and which identified the victim by name and photograph on its website. The two-year debate, which led to an order of contempt against the CBC, revolved around the questions of freedom of expression and privacy, and in particular – the right to be forgotten. Law enforcement authorities had requested that CBC take down posts identifying the alleged victim of a murder that were published before the ban was issued. CBC had refused on the grounds that these posts were legal at the time they were posted.