Information control is more complicated then hitting 'delete'

Do we own a “right to be forgotten” regarding things in our past? Do we own all the information generated about ourselves?

A recent ruling by the Court of Justice of the European Union in a public records case out of Spain might have provided a resounding “Yes” to both questions. On May 13, Europe’s highest court gave individuals the ability to expunge their online records of past indiscretions such as old debts, previous arrests and other unflattering incidents by requiring search engine companies like Google to honor these requests.

According to an Associated Press story, the court said “peo...