According to “Forbes” “The Globe And Mail” and other media local time reported on Saturday, the U.S. Federal Court of Appeals recently passed a 2-1 majority ruling: Google is not a news and arts organization and does not meet the exemption provisions.
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The ruling will prompt Google to take stronger measures to protect personal information in Canada. It also means that Google will face new challenges in the Canadian Internet search space, where it holds more than 75% of the market.
The judge said, “Google search does not collect, use or disclose personal information for the purpose of ‘news reporting,’ and if it does, it is not solely for that purpose.”
According to the report, the ruling triggered the discussion of the “right to be forgotten” in all walks of life. (refers to people asking that their personal information not be searched for on the web).
Valerie Lawton, a spokeswoman for the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada, said she was pleased that the court agreed with their position, as it demonstrated that Google’s search engine services are regulated under the federal Privacy Act. She said, “This provides an important clarification of the application of the law in this area.”
The case in question dates back to 2017, when a local citizen complained to the federal privacy commissioner that an online article about him had caused him physical harm, employment discrimination, and an ongoing threat to his life. He wanted his information removed from the search results provided by the search engine and filed a complaint with the Privacy Commissioner, who handled the complaint under Canada’s Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act.
