Swire Discusses Recent “Right to be Forgotten” Ruling by EU’s Higher Court in Google’s Fight About Data Privacy for EU Citizens

Peter Swire, professor of Law and Ethics at Scheller College of Business and associate director for Policy at the Georgia Tech Institute for Information Security and Privacy, was quoted in Bloomberg Law’s September 25 article “Google Ruling Highlights EU Top Court’s Privacy Muscle.”

The Court of Justice for the European Union (CJEU), ruled that Google (Alphabet Inc.) can allow links to data on individuals to remain on their search engine in every part of the world but the EU. The ruling comes after the Court heard the “right to be forgotten” case which explored the right of data privacy for private citizens whose information on Google’s search engine may be inaccurate or detrimental to EU citizens. 

The ruling has implications with multinationals in the U.S. who transfer citizen’s data across international borders. “The strictest regulatory regime has a tendency to set ‘rules and regulations’ in what is called the Brussels effect”, stated Swire. The CJEU, through its strict ruling in international cases, has become “the Supreme Court globally for privacy,” Swire continued.

Swire is a national and international expert on data privacy and cybersecurity and is regularly sought after for his expertise on the subjects.