"Right to be forgotten" now also in Switzerland

Google remains silent about the identity of the applicants. As was announced at the end of July, 1645 requests for 7085 addresses were received in Switzerland. Google is currently unable to say how many entries have been deleted from Google.ch, company spokesman Samuel Leiser told the news agency SDA. The individual sites with deleted content are also not being published. However, the responsible webmasters have been informed. The requests are being dealt with on a case-by-case basis, Leiser assured. A team of lawyers based in Europe is working on this.

Google selects itself

The difficulties for Google caused by the decision of the European Court of Justice continue. On the one hand, the company must delete outdated and inaccurate entries. On the other hand, it must comply with the public's right to information, for example when it comes to politicians. Google carries out this triage itself. However, this task should not be entrusted to a private company, demanded Green Party National Councillor Balthasar Glättli (ZH). This is actually a matter for the judiciary. He intends to submit a parliamentary motion on this issue. Glättli's view is shared by fellow councillor Jean Christophe Schwaab (SP/VD). The authorities must ensure that information that is in the public interest can also be seen and found. In particular, he mentions publications in the media. He submitted a corresponding postulate two years ago, which the National Council approved. This calls on the Federal Council to examine a law that enshrines or specifies the right to be forgotten. The Federal Council has not yet announced anything.

Proof of identity required

Google has defined several criteria in order to be able to carry out the triage. The company requires a whole series of information from people requesting deletion. In addition to their name, applicants must prove their identity using an electronic form. In addition to a passport or ID card, they can also use another form of identification, covering numbers and photos.

Attempts at concealment occur

Applicants must then justify their request. This is where problems arise, as Google states. It sometimes happens that people want to delete some known facts that are not to their advantage. In these cases, Google assures that it wants to take the status of the applicant into account. A person in the public interest is not treated in the same way as ordinary citizens. And political discourse is not normally deleted. However, the line is not easy to draw, Leiser admitted. The search engine is open to suggestions from outside and wants to adapt its methods if necessary. At European level, Google had registered 91,000 requests involving 328,000 links by mid-July. A little more than half of the requested entries have already been deleted, according to the statement. Around 30 percent of the requests had been rejected. Further details were requested for a further 15 percent. (SDA)