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NT1 & NT2 v Google LLC

[2018] EWHC 799 (QB) — High Court (Queen's Bench), 2018

Last reviewed: Next review due:

What the court held

The first substantive UK application of the "right to be forgotten" (right to erasure) established by the CJEU Google Spain judgment. Warby J found for one claimant (NT2) and against another (NT1) based on the differing facts, seriousness of prior conviction, and public interest in each case.

Key rulings

  • Right to erasure applies to search-engine indexing of information about spent convictions.
  • Case-by-case balance: nature of conviction, time elapsed, public role, current relevance.
  • The court set out a workable framework for future claims.

Topics

Data protectionRight to be forgottensearch-engines

Acts cited

  • Data Protection Act 1998
  • Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974

Authoritative source

Read the full judgment on BAILII (British and Irish Legal Information Institute):

https://www.bailii.org/ew/cases/EWHC/QB/2018/799.html

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Case summaries are drafted by UK JournoHub Editorial for practising UK journalists. They are not legal advice. Always consult primary sources and, for high-risk stories, take specialist legal advice.