Public wants 'right to be forgotten' online

Nearly nine in 10 US voters want "the right to be forgotten" on the Internet, according to a new poll. Eighty-eight percent support a US law that would let them petition companies like Google, Yahoo and Bing to remove certain personal information that appears in search results, according to the survey conducted by Benenson Strategy Group and SKDKnickerbocker.

While 52 percent strongly support a US law, another 36 percent somewhat support it. That proposal is similar to the European policy known as the "right to be forgotten," which has divided those advocating for increased privacy and others who argue it could curtail free expression. The poll also found 64 percent of people believe the US government has gone too far in sweeping up information from technology companies for surveillance purposes. Another 36 percent believe the government has struck the right balance. The online poll surveyed 1,032 registered voters from Feb. 26-27.