InternetLab Right to Be Forgotten Week

The “right to be forgotten” gained prominence in Brazil after the Costeja vs. Google Spain case in 2014. With several bills under discussion in the National Congress, judicial requests to remove or de-index content related to this concept are on the rise. InternetLab promoted the Right to be Forgotten Special in 2017, covering the origins of the concept, its global implementation, cases in Brazilian courts and proposals for regulation. The event included interviews and a Mock Jury at the University of São Paulo.

Freedom of Expression
Duration: 2015 - 2017
Status: Concluded

Especially after the repercussion of the Costeja vs. Google Spain case, with the decision of the Court of Justice of the European Union and its implementation by Google, the debates about the so-called “right to be forgotten” (RTBF) are standing out in other countries – in Brazil as well.

Nowadays, we have a great number of draft bills passing through the Brazilian Congress that aim, in some way, to regulate this matter. Simultaneously, we see a growing number of requests presented before the Judiciary demanding the removal or deindexation of contents that are articulated around a “right to be forgotten”.

To emphasize the importance of the debates on this yet little-discussed subject in Brazil and its consequences for freedom of speech and personality rights, InternetLab hosted, from January 30th to February 3rd 2017, the InternetLab Right To Be Forgotten Week.

The RTBF Week discussed the origins of the concept of the “right to be forgotten”, commented its implementation in Europe and around the world, presented the main cases involving the matter that reached higher Brazilian courts and the bills attempting to regulate the RTBF in the country.

Also for the RTBF Week, InternetLab interviewed the then researcher at the University of Cambridge, Julia Powles, and held a Moot Court at the Law School of the University of São Paulo (link in Portuguese).