Google Appeals French Order to Apply Right to Be Forgotten Globally

Google is appealing a French data-protection order to expand Europe’s right to be forgotten to its websites world-wide, kicking off a legal tussle over the territorial scope of a rule established in 2014 by the European Union’s top court. The Mountain View (CA) company said it sent a request to France’s Commission Nationale de l’Informatique et des Libertés, or CNIL, asking it to rescind a May order -- disclosed publicly in June -- that would force Google to apply Europe’s right to be forgotten to “all domain names” of the search engine, including google.com, not just Google sites aimed at Europe, like google.co.uk.

The French CNIL said that it will take up to two months to consider Google’s appeal before deciding whether to withdraw its order, or open sanctions proceedings that could lead to a fine of up to €150,000 against the online-search firm. Google argues -- along with some free speech advocates -- that applying the right beyond Europe could open the door to more authoritarian governments attempting to apply Internet-censorship rules beyond their borders.