Bing Implements Right To Be Forgotten

mpicpp (3454017) writes with news that Bing has joined Google in removing search results upon request by EU citizens. From the article: The company has asked European residents, who want Microsoft to block search results that show on Bing in response to searches of their names, to fill out a four-part online form. Besides the name and country of residence of the person and the details of the pages to be blocked, the form also asks if the person is a public figure or has or expects a role that involves trust, leadership or safety. ... The information provided will help the company "consider the balance" between the applicant's individual privacy interest and the public interest in protecting free expression and the free availability of information, in line with European law, Microsoft said. You can always visit a non-EU version of Bing to receive uncensored results.

Comments

Irony

[kruach aum]

Is there anyone who had not yet exercised their right to forget Bing?

Re:Irony

[QilessQi]

What's "Bing"?

Re:Irony

[Archangel Michael]

Bing
Is
Not
Google

Re:Irony

[Flavianoep]

Thanks, Mr. Michael. I've been wondering theses days where does the word "bing" come from. =)

Re:Irony

[gstoddart]

I've always assumed it was the sound whatever hypothetical machine would make.

"Recipes for turducken" ... Bing!

You know, like where the computer in Star Trek made mechanical noises while it was thinking.

Re:Irony

[Archangel Michael]

No, but if you go through the edits of that article there was once a reference to me. Thus proving, anyone can edit Wikipedia. And further proving that useless information can be and often is removed.

Re:Irony

[Impy the Impiuos Imp]

mpicpp (3454017)
writes with news that Bing has joined Google in removing search results upon request

As usual, Microsoft is late to the party, playing, "Me too!"

Re:Irony

[dr_blurb]

What's "Bing"?

It's a search engine named after a character in "Friends".

Re:Irony

[kwbauer]

because Microsoft is more evil than Google so always keep repeating the lies to prove the "fact"

Re:Irony

[RockDoctor]

Bing : (Scots)
noun: bing; plural noun: bings

a heap, especially of metallic ore or of waste from a mine.

Origin : early 16th century: from Old Norse bingr âheapâ(TM).

Example : here is a pile of useless waste from the 19th century oil-shale workings just outside Edinburgh.

No, seriously. Google it!

Micro$loth's marketing department fucks it up. Again.

Non-EU

[just_another_sean]

You can always visit a non-EU version of Bing to receive uncensored results.

That's interesting. Is it the same with Google? I guess I never saw one way or another but I have assumed until now that gone from Google's results meant all of Google, not just TLDs in Europe...

Re:Non-EU

[rahvin112]

The gone is gone only from the country specific google domains, ie. Google.fr. You can still access the US indexes and get uncensored results although my bet is that at some point they make Google start filtering access by IP address.

An interesting twist...

[QuietLagoon]

Microsoft asks google to take down a link, yet Microsoft does not remove that link from Bing. What's up with that?

.
Odd That Microsoft Demands Google Take Down Links That Remain In Bing

Re:An interesting twist...

[kpainter]

That is ok because nobody will ever see the link anyway.

Re:An interesting twist...

[CanHasDIY]

Take your pick:

http://sixrevisions.com/web_de...

HotBot was always my go-to.

Re:Has anyone been asking Bing for this feature?

[gstoddart]

That was my first thought ... all the cool kids are doing it.

So far Google has gotten all the publicity.

Re:Has anyone been asking Bing for this feature?

[Anonymous Coward]

Or is Microsoft just trying to say, "Hey, we have a search engine also. Pay attention to us."

The ruling doesn't name Google specifically. (like, duh) Every search engine would be legally required to implement the "right to be forgotten".

Right to be remembered

[jfdavis668]

Can we force search engines to remember us? Some of us don't want to be forgotten.

Re:Right to be remembered

[praxis]

Can we force search engines to remember us? Some of us don't want to be forgotten.

Yes! Do something notable. Most notable people are still findable on the internets, even hundreds of years later.

Finally, a way to find out if your wife is a Robot

[Rinikusu]

"Hey, honey, when I did file that right to be forgotten form?"

"I have no recollection of such event, dear."

Re:Finally, a way to find out if your wife is a Ro

[gstoddart]

Hmmmm ... I'm afraid I don't see how this passes the "is my wife a robot test?"

Honey, have you seen my keys? "Where did you leave them?"

Honey, have you see my wallet? "Why would I know where you left it?"

Honey, what's for dinner? "What are you making?"

None of these things help me tell if my wife is a robot or not. ;-)

Who controls the past controls the future...

[Atmchicago]

This is a big step towards re-writing history. It begins with ignoring it, or by actively hiding it. I give it 1 year before we hear of attempts by politicians to cover embarrasing stories that are relevant information to the public, or before corporations hide unpleasant past events such as oil spills (corporations are people too, these days). True, search engines aren't the sole gateways to information, but nowadays people assume that if something isn't found on the first search results page it's probably not important.

Re:Who controls the past controls the future...

[tlhIngan]

This is a big step towards re-writing history. It begins with ignoring it, or by actively hiding it. I give it 1 year before we hear of attempts by politicians to cover embarrasing stories that are relevant information to the public, or before corporations hide unpleasant past events such as oil spills (corporations are people too, these days). True, search engines aren't the sole gateways to information, but nowadays people assume that if something isn't found on the first search results page it's probably not important.

It happens already actually - off line.

The whole "right to be forgotten" is an implementation of the fact that over time, whatever happened people naturally forget about, and getting at those records is hard enough that the effort usually isn't worthwhile.

The Internet, though, is an ever-expanding pile of information, that stuff you did 10 years ago will haunt you for the rest of your life. It's so valuable a resource that industries that traditionally would've just let things slide because they happened so long abo the evidence is sketchy now has access to all the information that most people have long forgotten.

The right to be forgotten doesn't remove content, it just means that the link between the content and the specific search gets broken. There can still be searches that bring up the content (e.g., "BP" may not bring up the oil spill, but "oil spill 2010" can bring it up).

I suppose a common example would be employers who google every prospective employees, only to see that 10, 20, 30+ years ago they did something "bad" and declining to interview because of it. (Generally most content is undated, so determining how long ago something happened can be quite difficult).

Of course, there are also people who google their dates, etc.

And even before this ruling, brand management companies knew how to bury content - just because you did something horrible 3 years ago, doesn't mean you have it have it sit as the 4th link on Google. With a bit of SEO and other techniques, you can bury those past events farther down the line (remembering 90% of the people stop at the first page, and barely any reach the 3rd or 4th page of results, so if you get it page 15, it's buried, or forgotten).

Re:Who controls the past controls the future...

[the11thplague]

The whole "right to be forgotten" is an implementation of the fact that over time, whatever happened people naturally forget about, and getting at those records is hard enough that the effort usually isn't worthwhile.

Except this was not the original "right to be forgotten", which was discussed by the European Parliament and meant "I want Facebook to forget MY OWN data I provided it with". That was lobbied aside by Yahoo! and Co. This is related to a ruling by the Supreme European Court (different entity) and the press called it "right to be forgotten" putting a new meaning to an old concept. This nice little trick by the press hijacked all possibilities of debating the old meaning, which made much more sense, actually.

Re:Has anyone been asking Bing for this feature?

[QuietLagoon]

That was my first thought ... all the cool kids are doing it.

...

According to Bloomberg TV, Bing has a whopping 2.5% marketshare in the EU search market.

receive uncensored results?

[fustakrakich]

I don't believe that for a second. Everybody is censoring now. Of course in the US the laws mandating censorship are secret, cuz, you know, terrorists.

Re:Has anyone been asking Bing for this feature?

[dmbasso]

The feature is actually working! I had totally forgotten Bing existed!

Re:Has anyone been asking Bing for this feature?

[Ravaldy]

2.5% of 18.4 Billions search ad market (as of 2013) is $460 000 000. Are you saying that's nothing?

A growing number is usually a good indicator of a business growing. Question here is whether this increase is due to the defaults in IE or actually adoption of the search engine.

I believe Bing's world search market share is currently 4.25% (as per global stats counter)

Bing who?

[symbolset]

What ever Bing is, they should be working on solving the "ability to be known" problem. Solving "right to be forgotten" is fixing a problem they don't have.

Soon to be censored worldwide?

[1080bogus]

"You can always visit a non-EU version of Bing to receive uncensored results."

According to the US Government, they should be able to access data worldwide as long as the company operates in the US. What's stopping the EU from demanding all search pages be censored? I realize one is asking for data and the other is filtering, but it's that slippery slope. One government can do something "worldwide", what's stopping others from doing the same thing with companies that operate in their country?

What about my right to be remembered?

[eanbowman]

Remember me, Internet. For all of the intelligent and the silly things I have done. Who am I kidding? Nobody cares about me.

Re:Has anyone been asking Bing for this feature?

[rezme]

Yes, but can you honestly say that there would it would be noticeable if Bing didn't choose to implement it?

Re:I thought it was global?

[Sciath]

That's all part of the cost of doing business... yes? I see little reason why commerce and communication over the web should be any different than commerce and communication via land line telecommunications. It may be correct that the web was envisioned as an "open" communication system but I see no reason whatsoever that the same privacy expectations that use to be applicable to land line communications should not apply to the web. In my opinion, there should be a presumption of privacy in ANY form of communication or doing business. And that those who operate various communication pathways to obtain participants explicit permission to share their information. Now, one may argue that the web as it exists today is completely open and public. Thus, people who utilize such pathways are implicitly granting permission to share their information. However, that's ass backwards from pre-internet expectations. Prior to the web, people had an expectation of privacy and there is no reason the web should be any different. Businesses are explicitly on the web to further their markets and WANT the exposure. But private individuals should have to explicitly grant permission to any third party for release of private and personal information including email, business transactions with specific companies, etc. Including the inability of companies to share information with third parties, affiliates, business partners, etc. Every single thing a person engages in on the web should by statute be considered private and one should not have to give up their privacy to communicate or transact business on the web... period.