Data protection and the ‘right to be forgotten’ in practice: a UK perspective

We are in an uncertain and complex period for data protection and privacy in Europe, and especially so in the UK, following the result of the ‘Brexit’ referendum on 23 June 2016. Information law, and data protection in particular, are of increasing concern for those in the business of knowledge sharing and information dissemination: media organisations, academic institutions and libraries. The notion of the ‘right to be forgotten’ is particularly troublesome, as lawyers, archivists, historians and philosophers grapple with the theoretical and practical implications. This paper discusses a selection of recent European and British policy and legal developments, and discuss how they are changing social practice and citizens’ engagement with information rights.