The Right to be Forgotten: new book by Paul Lambert

Visiting Research Fellow at the IALS Paul Lambert has just published a new book with Bloomsbury, entitled The Right to be Forgotten.

He has also published an article in the European Intellectual Property Review (Volume 41(6) 2019) on the subject of “IP and PI Takedowns: Comparing and Contrasting the Right to be Forgotten.”

The new book has received positive review and comments, including the following:

•  “Goes well beyond the legal analysis of the right to be forgotten that can be found in the current literature. For the first time the reader gets a comprehensive approach to the problem of data processing and management across long periods of time and how it connects with the will of data subjects that such processing and disclosure be erased and thus forgotten. Dr. Lambert addresses the legal problem starting from a societal approach of great importance … This is key to understanding how the need to be forgotten came to be an important legal issue of our time and how it influenced the law … This is done with clear language and practical examples to illustrate analysis … immediately ranks as the fundamental work regarding this new and important right and constitutes an important tool for any operator in the privacy and data protection ecosystem” (Domingos Soares Farinho, Professor, University of Lisbon School of Law, Privacy and Data Protection Lawyer);
•  “The internet allows our misdemeanours and mistakes to come back to haunt us. Digital footprints are visible long after the storm has past and human interest has waned. The right to be forgotten balances this out by enabling some people to wipe the digital slate clean. The right is still in its infancy and finding its feet however and Paul Lambert’s book provides what every data protection lawyers really need right now, that is a clear and simple exposition of how the right can be contextualised and put within the broader data protection framework” (Professor Phillip Johnson, Cardiff University);
• “one of the very first, truly profound and up-to-date analyses to the Right to be Forgotten, dedicated not merely to the scope of Article 17 of the GDPR, but also to the path to its evolution, including the widely known ‘Google Spain’ decision of the European Court of Justice (often seen as a ‘Big Bang’), and national law developments … Since digital memory never forgets and information merging progresses in somewhat alarming ways, manifesting itself in today’s threats – blackmailing, stalking, revenge porn, deep fakes, to name but a few – the author points out the strengths and weaknesses of this legal concept. This clearly structured book is therefore highly recommended to all those who would like to develop a deeper understanding of the necessities and different views going beyond Article 17 of the GDPR to approach the significance of a “digital amnesia” which should by no means be underestimated” (Christopher Schmidt, Magister of Law, Data Privacy Specialist, certified CIPP/E, CIPM, CIPT, CBSA);
• “An excellent deep dive into the Right to be Forgotten. I would recommend anyone working in privacy, especially within a technology environment, to read this” (Stuart Anderson, Managing Director, XpertDPO).