Right to be Forgotten

The idea of a right to be forgotten on the Internet is controversial. Some perceive it as a much-needed instrument to protect privacy, personality and autonomy, while others fear opacity, censorship, and a loss of freedom of expression. This entry traces the origins of the so-called ‘right to be forgotten’ and outlines how it became a legal figure, with considerable influence of the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) in Luxembourg, as well as the European Union (EU) with the emergence of the 2016 General Data Protection Regulation (‘GDPR’)