EDITORIALS & ARTICLES

Is “right to forget” a fundamental right?.

There has been demand from several sections to consider right to forget as a part of right to privacy. The right to privacy evolved as a fundamental right after the Puttaswamy Case. The Supreme Court said that right to privacy is a fundamental right under Article 21 of the constitution. Right to forget
  • Deleting information from official sources The process involves removing information about a person from official sources such as court records, criminal database etc. This is applicable only if they are acquitted or served sentence.
  • Removing from public domain Information in public domain includes email id, phone number, date of birth, health records, and news clippings etc which are part of day to day transactions.
Need for right to forget
  • Prevent leakage of personal data Personal data can be easily leaked and can be misused for wrongful purposes. By deleting information after a stipulated time, the chances of leakage can be controlled.
  • Violation of fundamental right The Supreme Court announced that right to privacy is a fundamental right. Some courts have also observed that right to forget is an intrinsic part of right to privacy.
Concerns in right to forget
  • Right to information Deletion of data from official sources could violate right to information statute. Deleting information can be misused to hide crimes.
  • Lack of statute Currently, there are no laws to implement right to forget. Without proper laws, petitioners have to rely on court’s precedence to implement their demand.
Thus, right to forget is an evolving domain that has made significant progress in the past few years. More deliberations are needed to arrive at a suitable conclusion.






POSTED ON 29-12-2021 BY ADMIN
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