Two courts in Japan have ordered Google and Yahoo Japan to remove links from the search results when two individuals' names are entered into the search engines.
The two individuals in question both have criminal records that date back at least 10 years.
Their courts have argued that since the offences took place so long ago, it is now no longer in the public interest to have the details kept in the public domain. The individuals argued that their right to privacy and their honour was being violated.
Neither Google nor Yahoo Japan have commented on the Japanese courts' rulings.
The court rulings have parallels to the “right to be forgotten” ruling in the EU, which says that EU citizens can ask search engines to remove links to outdated or inaccurate information about them.Â
