Title of the Essay, Author, and Date

The right to be forgotten: A choice between privacy and free speech by Nikki Williams (April 20, 2015)

Title of the Reflection

P ick your poison

First Impression

A n essay where we must pick a choice that will result to lesser evil.

Quote

  Visionary author George Orwell famously stated: “He who controls the past controls the future.

Reflection paper

Social media had been a great medium for us to gather some data or important information about someone. But what if things you have posted right now could actually affect your future identity without you even knowing?

I’ve never really imagine that social media could indeed affect your present and your future at the same time by simply posting something disreputable on your behalf. People are arguing and debating on this stuff. That some “data” needed to be forgotten from past and protects someone’s privacy. Because what if that person 20 years later is no longer that silly person who of posting such content on line? I believe that we have the right to protect our privacy but people keep insisting they also have the right for freedom of speech. But I guess, that event was from the past, it don’t need to haunt people in the present or in the future top create some nightmares. But I prefer both. Privacy and freedom of speech. We need privacy in order to voice out our opinion. We should be free to speak or minds without the fear of being judged and criticized by our opinions and beliefs that we strongly hold. People grow, they grow maturely because they’ve learned, they’ve learned to unravel themselves to be someone considered “professional” and what he had done 20 years before shouldn’t be a threat to his present nor future. It shouldn’t be a reason why his professionalism wouldn’t be validated through his past may have played a great role in “creating” his whole being but nonetheless, people change, people grow, and as an individual we have the rights to censored, to delete some data that could create gossips, social media bullying, a content that is somewhat disparaging, libellous, we have the right to remove it from the public in order to protect ourselves from the social media “bullying”.

5 Things That I've learned from the article:

1.  The European Court Justice (ECJ) stipulated that Google was required to allow others to request information removal. The official decision noted that future requests for removal could be denied if such information were justified because of a significant question of public safety or interest. That means that the data controller, in this case Google, would be required to check all inquiries for deletion against this test.
2. Wikipedia founder, Jimmy Wales—who is serving on a Google advisory committee that will help the data giant determine which removal requests will be allowed— is outspoken on his opinion of the legislation. He believes that allowing an individual to dictate what links are removable is wrong. He states: “In the case of truthful, non-defamatory information obtained legally, I think there is no possibility of any defensible right to censor what other people are saying.
3. Internet has ensured that if such events are posted online, they can be found via a simple search far beyond the period that the records have relevancy. This ability to store and retrieve data indefinitely can significantly impact the ability of people to recover, move forward, or rehabilitate their lives.
4. With the adoption of right to be forgotten legislation, the state could allow individuals to remove links to factual information for their benefit or the benefit of others that they designate. 
5. We need privacy so we can voice our opinions free from political or personal reprisals. We should be free to speak our minds without fear that it may be held against us in perpetuity.

5 Integrative Questions:

1. what was the reason Google was required to allow others to request information removal?
2. Where individuals concerned with covering up nefarious activities can be found that can give lessons to other people?
3. What’s more, with advances in big data collection and data mining techniques, there is a possibility that every “Like” button you click on Facebook or every tweet or retweet can be clustered and assembled to create a road map of your actions and opinions over time?
4. What time must pass before relevance is determined? What could be the reason that make the call in weighing public interest and individual rights against one another when examining requests for deletions?
5. Why it is important to protect the right for freedom of speech or privacy?