Google has started its tour of meetings across Europe that will hold debates on the "right to be forgotten" rule regarding Internet privacy.
The European Court of Justice ruled earlier this year that individuals in Europe should have the option to ask the search giant to take down certain types of information about them from the search index, according to BBC News. So far, over 90,000 users have requested to have their data removed.
A total of seven meetings will be held in European capitals by Nov. 4, with the first taking place today in Madrid. An advisory council set up by Google will run the meetings, which includes council member Jimmy Wales, founder of Wikipedia, ex-judges and former privacy officials.
The ruling has received praise from privacy advocates who view it as a way to balance power between individuals and Google, Bing and other Internet companies, The Wall Street Journal reported. However, Google and free-speech advocates believe the ruling will lead to Internet censorship.
The balance of privacy and free speech on the Internet will be the main focus of the debates. The panel will also include Google Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt and Chief Legal Officer David Drummond.
Google said that having to remove information is a "new and difficult challenge" and it was looking for help in deciding when to remove links and when not to, BBC News reported. The 90,000 applications it received involved embarrassing photographs, criminal trials, bullying and news articles that give negative portrayals of some people. The company is believed to have acted on close to half of the requests, and if a request is refused, the applicant can issue an appeal.
The meetings will begin before Google and other search engines will meet with European data protection regulators to discuss guidelines on the "right to be forgotten." The discussion will take place on Sept. 15, and the guidelines are intended to make sure companies cater to all requests.
