The missing link: where do third parties stand in the “right to be forgotten”?

On 26 November 2014 the European Union’s Article 29 Data Protection Working Party (29WP) published its guidelines for implementing the “right to be forgotten.” The thirteen guidelines, while not legally binding, are to be used by search engines and DPAs when evaluating petitions from individuals to de-link online content that appears when searching for their name. However, LSE MSc student Stacie Walsh argues the guidelines do little to address the rights of third parties, such as news organizations, bloggers, and national governments, directly affected by the Court of Justice of the European Union’s ruling in favor of the right to be forgotten. Here she addresses three major areas: notification, relinking, and international borders.