Digital rights in Europe after the personal data protection regulation: A before and after for the right to be forgotten

Abstract

Europe has become the continent that has developed the right to digital oblivion more neatly, not only within the European Union, but also within the scope of the national legal systems of its member state. This article begins by reviewing the first sentences that were issued on the subject, and that are prior to the creation of the internet, to later analyze the turning point that occurred in 2014 with the Costeja Case, and which directly influenced the new legislation that has been issued on the subject both in the Brussels Parliament, and in the different European national parliaments. All this with the aim of being able to demonstrate the complexity of this polyhedral right so important for citizens in today’s digital society.