Is this the end of the internet as we know it? Thousands rush to apply for their 'right to be forgotten' by having details of their past erased from Google

Search engine now allows people to have links about them taken down



Thousands of paedophiles have made requests to remove personal data



However, Google says it will balance rights of individuals with public interest

Most requests received relate to paedophilia, fraud, arrests and convictions

The ruling could fundamentally change the nature of the internet in Europe

Thousands of paedophiles have rushed to use a new form from Google giving them the 'right to be forgotten' which lets people apply to get themselves removed from search results.

The changes come after a landmark ruling by the European Court of Justice that people have the 'right to be forgotten' - so they can have Google search results removed if they tarnish their reputation.

Over 12,000 people across Europe have used the form since Google launched the online form yesterday morning.

If those requests are granted, anyone searching for those people on Google will not be shown the aspects of their past that they have deemed to be embarrassing or damaging - making internet searches fundamentally less useful.



Google requests: At one point, yesterday, Google said it was getting 20 requests per minute from people asking for their information to be taken down

At one point Google said it was getting 20 requests per minute.



But the ruling has already been criticised after early indications that around 12 per cent of applications were related to paedophilia.

A further 3 0 per cent concern fraud and 20 per cent were about people's arrests or convictions.

Along with requests from paedophiles, many other applications have come from corrupt public figures and criminals desperate to hide their past.

An actor who had an affair with a teenager, a celebrity's child who was convicted of criminal offices and a man who tried to kill members of his family were among the first requests.

The company has set up a team of employees to deal with requests and sift through applications from people desperate to have personal information removed from search results.

The team will decide exactly which grievances should be honoured under the European court ruling and which should not.

However, the company said it will not honour every application and will look at each case based on its merit.



These include cases connected with recent criminal convictions, professional malpractice and the conduct of government officials.

HOW DOES THE 'RIGHT TO BE FORGOTTEN' ACTUALLY WORK ?

WHAT IS THE LINK?

Those seeking to have information about them removed can visit the legal section of Google's website or visit the link: https://support.google.com/legal/contact/lr_eudpa?product=websearch

On this page, a form allows users to put in a search removal request under EU data law.



WHO CAN USE THE FORM?

Only EU citizens are allowed to submit a request via the form and apply to have their links removed if their legal name appears. They will have to explain why the link should be taken down.



WHAT REQUESTS WILL BE CONSIDERED?

All requests will be considered but Google, but it will have to balance privacy with the public interest, the company has said it will not remove all cases.



WHAT CAN I DO IF A CASE IS NOT RESOLVED?

In Britain users can contact the Information Commissioner's Office or take Google to court.

However, if these types of cases cannot be resolved by Google they may end up being looked at by Britain's privacy watchdog the Information Commisioner's Office or go to a higher court.

It means that Google now finds itself in the prickly position of having to balance privacy concerns against the principles of free expression and 'the right to know.'

Critics say the EU ruling has already created a divide between how Google generates search results about some people in Europe and the rest of the world.



For now at least, Google will only scrub personal information spanning 32-nations in Europe.



It means that Googling the same person in the United States and dozens of other countries could look much different than it does from Europe.

And although the court ruling currently applies to 28 countries in the European Union, Google is extending the 'right to be forgotten' to four other countries — Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland.



More than 500 million people live in the area affected by Google's potential purge of personal information from its European search results.

Google said it has established a seven-person advisory committee including Eric Schmidt, Jimmy Wales who is Wikipedia's founder and Jose Luis Piñar, former director of Spain's Data Protection Authority to look at the issues.

Concern: Co-founder and CEO Larry Page has warned that a European court ruling on 'the right to be forgotten' will help corrupt governments around the world

However, in an interview with the Financial Times, Google's co-founder Larry Page warned that the new law will be used by other governments to do bad things.