Privacy watchdog takes Google to court in long-running ‘right to be forgotten’ case

Ottawa - Canada's privacy commissioner is seeking the Federal Court's intervention to compel Google to remove specific search results associated with an individual's name, following the tech giant's refusal to follow the watchdog's recommendations.

In 2017, the privacy commissioner had previously advised Google to remove certain articles from search results for a person's name, as they were linked to a criminal charge that was later dropped. The individual claimed that the articles caused them direct harm. Despite the recommendation, Google maintained that the case raises issues concerning freedom of expression that were not addressed by the courts.

Google's spokesperson stated that the company "welcomes the opportunity to address these issues in court." The current privacy commissioner has now filed an application with the Federal Court, requesting that the court enforce her recommendations. The case has been ongoing since 2017, with articles about the criminal charge still available online and appearing in search results for other terms.