Airbrushing the European Web

[Commentary] In reality, the so-called right to be forgotten is a misnomer. The information still exists at the newspaper website or other original source; it just can't be found easily.

The good news is that the architecture of the global Internet makes it hard for governments to splinter the World Wide Web. Google will not apply the European court's rules beyond Europe. It will comply by creating censored search results to be displayed in Europe but will continue uncensored search results elsewhere in the world. It's not fashionable these days to note how American exceptionalism is reflected in the underlying architecture of the open Internet. In the US, free speech is second nature, with broad agreement that the more accurate information is available, the more knowledge spreads. The Web, built largely in the U.S., is "permissionless," requiring no licenses or government approvals. Open, uncensored communication is the default. Everyone in the world who uses the open Internet gets a taste of the First Amendment. Many others, including the European judges, instead believe information is for governments to control. The good news for Europeans seeking uncensored search results is that they are one click away from information asylum -- so long as the American Internet remains the land of the free.