Following a ruling of the Court of Justice of The European Union in May 2014, individuals have the right ask search engines like Google to remove results for searches based on their name. Search engines have to comply if the URLs are “inadequate, irrelevant or no longer relevant, or excessive,” as well as consider other factors like the public profile of the individual. Since 2014, Switzerland has been responsible for 2.2% of the over 650,000 requests to GoogleExternal link to be delisted.
Google has not approved every Swiss request to be forgotten though: 44% of URLs concerned were delisted. The bulk of the requests (88.8%) came from private individuals. Of the rest, 38.3% involved minors, 29.2% companies, 18.2% government officials and 11.5% non-governmental public figures.
Of the URLs requested for delisting and actually delisted by Google, the website Moneyhouse.ch – that provides financial data on individuals and firms – heads the Swiss list. Social media platforms Facebook and Twitter clinched second and third place respectively. Media websites Blick (fourth place) and 20min (fifth place) completed the top five.
More
More
Tech and tennis the most popular Swiss Google searches of 2017
This content was published on
An insight into the nation’s mind: Google Switzerland has released its “hit-list” of the most-searched terms in 2017.
Should raw milk sales be banned or should consumers decide?
Swiss food regulations do not allow raw milk to be sold for direct consumption. However, a loophole allows 400 raw milk vending machines to do just that.
Amherd and von der Leyen discuss ongoing Swiss-EU negotiations
This content was published on
Swiss President Viola Amherd and EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen have met and talked about the ongoing negotiations between Bern and Brussels.
This content was published on
One million francs, 34 million euros and around 830 kilos of gold: this is the fortune that two Swiss nationals are accused of having moved across borders for at least four years.
Girls in female-dominated classes earn more later on
This content was published on
At the age of 30, women from school classes with a 55% share of girls earn $350 more per year than women from classes with a 45% share of girls.
This content was published on
Geneva-based luxury goods group Richemont reported a downturn in performance for the first half of its 2024/25 financial year. Both sales and profit declined.
COP29: Swiss NGOs call for strong financial support
This content was published on
Ahead of COP29, Swiss NGOs call for wealthy nations to pay $1,000 billion a year to help other countries solve climate problems.
Real Swiss wages likely to rise in 2025, says UBS bank
This content was published on
Higher wages and falling inflation are likely to boost Swiss purchasing power, which will be dragged back by rising health premiums.
This content was published on
Switzerland has a new tectonic map at a scale of 1:500,000, containing updates to geometry, distribution and nomenclature of the tectonic units.
This content was published on
Swiss artist Daniel Spoerri, known for his artworks using leftover food with dirty cutlery and crockery, has passed away in Vienna at the age of 94.
Google expands in Zurich but tax structure remains unclear
This content was published on
On Tuesday, Google inaugurated new offices – around 50,000 square metres in the historic 1930s Sihlpost building – close to Zurich’s main station. The new premises and existing office space in another district will together be able to house up to 5,000 staff. Google established a European research and development centre in Switzerland’s largest city…
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.