EU court puts limits on online 'right to be forgotten'

The European Union's top court has ruled that Google is only obliged to uphold the right to be forgotten on the internet in Europe, not worldwide.

Over the past five years, people in Europe have had the right to ask Google and operators of other search engines to delete links to outdated or embarrassing information about themselves, even if it is true.

In 2015, France's Commission Nationale de l'Informatique et des Libertes, an independent administrative regulatory body known as CNIL, ordered the online search engine to remove damaging or false information about people on a worldwide basis. The following year Google introduced a block on European users, but did not apply it to other territories, leading to CNIL attempting to fine the US company 100,000 euros ($109,900).