Table Of ContentThe Right to Erasure in EU Data
Protection Law
OXFORD DATA PROTECTION AND PRIVACY LAW
Series Editors
CHRISTOPHER KUNER
Professor of Law, VUB Brussel,
GRAHAM GREENLEAF
Professor of Law and Information Systems,
University of New South Wales
The aim of this series is to publish important and original books on legal
issues of data protection and privacy. This includes many different areas of
law, including comparative law, EU law, human rights law, international
law, privacy on the Internet, and others.
Prospective authors are welcome to submit proposals for the series, as
outlined on the series website: global.oup.com/academic/content/series/o/
oxford-data-protection-and-privacy-law-odppl/
The Right to Erasure
in EU Data
Protection Law
From Individual Rights
to Effective Protection
JEF AUSLOOS
1
3
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Foreword
The technological and economic forces characterising modern society have thor-
oughly disrupted the constitutional status quo in the west which grew from the
lessons of the Second World War, fascism and communism. Today again, human
autonomy and democracy are in peril. Not a day goes by without us having to con-
front how technology developers and users, big and small, are challenging not just
our privacy, but also core European principles such as equality, information free-
doms, liberty and democracy itself. The key catalyst in these developments is the
hunger to generate profits with personal data and the readiness to put profits over
individual autonomy and freedom. Al Gore called this business model the “stalker
economy”.
Jef Ausloos explores ways to safeguard individual autonomy in this brave new
world. He investigates this through the lens of EU data protection law and the legal
tools it contains to empower individuals in their efforts to exercise control over
their personal data. The right to erasure (‘right to be forgotten’) constitutes the
centrepiece of the GDPR in this endeavour.
Readers should not be misled by the title of the study, which is more than an
analysis of Article 17 GDPR. Jef Ausloos rather positions this provision as a central
junction in the GDPR and skilfully uses it as a starting point to go deeper into EU
data protection law in its entirety.
The book could not be more timely. It is based on the author’s PhD research,
defended in 2018, the year that data protection went mainstream. The GDPR en-
tered into force, Convention 108+ of the Council of Europe was adopted, and
perhaps most importantly the Facebook / Cambridge Analytica scandal signi-
fied the tipping point in public opinion on the issues of democracy and individual
freedom emerging from data- driven power asymmetries. These modern- day cau-
tionary tales— from psychological manipulation in the gig economy and polit-
ical microtargeting on social media, to arbitrary visibility on search engines and
the problematic practices of so- called ‘virtual assistants’— feature throughout the
book, offering valuable illustrations of practical operation of data protection law.
Article 17 GDPR is not such a complex provision. Its purpose is clear. But as
so often in texts of law which are the result of a democratic compromise, a closer
reading raises a number of issues. Jef Ausloos structures all of these issues in clear
terms, under three questions: Does the right to erasure apply in the first place? If
it applies, how should we go about balancing the different rights, freedoms and
interests at stake? If the right applies, and if a balance can be found, how should this
right be made effective in practice?
vi Foreword
To answer these questions, the book sets out a case- law analysis of fundamental
rights balancing, focusing specifically on Articles 7 (right to private life), 8 (data
protection), 11 (information freedoms), and 16 (freedom to conduct a business) of
the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights.
The author does not shy away from taking a swing at some of the broader soci-
etal issues of increasingly datafied—a nd thus controllable—a ctions, relationships
and environments. He dissects complex data processing operations and thus suc-
cessfully seeds doubts against the dominant tech sector arguments in defending
their practices which put in question individual autonomy.
His key theme throughout the book is the power asymmetries as catalysed by
technological and economic forces and how to address them through law which em-
powers individuals. For Ausloos, empowerment and autonomy play two roles: They
are a goal in themselves, as a manifestations of freedom and dignity of men, which
we need to fight to preserve in the age of AI. Secondly, they are tools to achieve in-
formational self-d etermination through legal institutions, namely GDPR.
Paul Nemitz
Principal Adviser at the European Commission and
Visiting Professor of Law at the College of Europe
Series Editors’ Preface
The Internet raises numerous challenges for the protection of personal data, such
as the simultaneous desire of individuals to make their personal data public while
retaining control over their processing; the global nature of data transfers, which
brings challenges for effective enforcement of data protection rights; and the lack
of transparency and accountability that surround much data processing.
These issues have gained particular attention in light of recent developments con-
cerning application of the right to erasure (also known as the ‘right to be forgotten’)
to global online networks. The right first gained notoriety when the EU General Data
Protection Regulation (GDPR) was proposed in 2012, and then became even more
famous following the 2014 judgment of the Court of Justice of the European Union in
the case Google Spain SL, in which the Court affirmed the application of the right in
the context of online search engines. Since then, questions surrounding the right to
erasure have provoked international controversy about the proper balance between
data protection rights and other rights and freedoms, the extraterritorial scope of EU
law, and the threats to individual rights posed by data processing on the Internet.
These issues are all dealt with in detail in the present volume by Dr. Jef Ausloos.
The author, who has examined the legal and technical implications of the right to
erasure since it first gained attention, has produced a monograph which is a superb
work of scholarship. It focuses on the right to erasure under the EU data protection
framework, particularly the GDPR, but also recognizes that the right to erasure has
become an international phenomenon that has received legal responses in non-
European countries as disparate as Argentina, Japan, Qatar, Russia, Madagascar,
Turkey, and Brazil.
A particular strength of this book is that, while the author provides a meticulous
examination of the legal issues surrounding the right to erasure under the GDPR,
he also puts the legal issues into a wider context. Thus, he considers the tensions
between the right and other important values (such as freedom of expression), and
examines the important question of how the right works in practice. Perhaps most
significantly, he recognizes that the issues surrounding the right to erasure serve
as a paradigm for a broader discussion about informational self-d etermination in
online data processing.
We are thus pleased to include this important book in our series. We believe that
it makes a significant contribution to data protection scholarship, both in EU law
and with regard to questions of online data processing more generally.
Christopher Kuner and Graham Greenleaf
Acknowledgements
Of the many metaphors that exist to describe the process of writing a PhD, I prefer
the one linking it to climbing a mountain. You start in the valley, looking at the
summit full of wonder and eager anticipation. But as you move your eyes down-
wards and downwards, following a meandering path over icy rocks, steep cliffs,
and through dark forests, you quickly realize the ascent will be no walk in the park.
I am therefore incredibly grateful to have been surrounded by such great people all
along the way to the top.
First of all, there is my wonderful advisory committee, without whom I would
never have embarked on this journey in the first place. Prof Dr Peggy Valcke de-
fines, and exceeds, the term ‘promotor’. Her unwavering enthusiasm and support
were not just vital in reaching the summit, but also enabled many fascinating ex-
cursions along the way. I am also incredibly grateful to my co- promotors: Prof
Dr Eleni Kosta for being the lighthouse I often needed when losing sight of the
summit, and Dr Seda Gürses reminding me to take a step back, breath, and look
at the broader picture. This trinity of (co-) promoters was complemented by three
people whose insights and encouragement have made this dissertation worth-
while. Thank you Prof Dr Serge Gutwirth, Prof Dr Jo Pierson, and Prof Dr Nico
van Eijk. Thank you also to jury members Prof Dr Geert van Calster, Prof Dr Elise
Muir, and chair Em Prof Dr Jacques Herbots for meeting me at the top.
Climbing a mountain never happens in a straight line. You encounter many chal-
lenges and distractions along the way, resulting in numerous detours. I was lucky
enough to have (had) wonderful colleagues with whom I shared parts of the path to
the summit. In particular, Brendan Van Alsenoy who not only helped me achieve
new heights, but also taught me the importance of academic integrity and humility.
Aleksandra Kuczerawy, for being a great writing-b uddy and the best roomie one
could wish for. Damian Clifford for always- inspiring conversations and being
a partner- in- crime for many PhD discussion days. Pieter- Jan, Amandine, and
Valerie for putting a huge smile on my face throughout most of the journey. And
of course so many other CiTiP colleagues that have made ‘going to the office’ a true
joy throughout the years!
My journey would never have been successful without two major detours along
the way. I am very grateful to the wonderful people at the Institute for Information
Law at the University of Amsterdam—a nd in particular Nico van Eijk, Natali
Helberger, Kristina Irion, and Frederik Zuiderveen Borgesius—f or a productive
research stay in the fall of 2015. Thank you also to everyone at the Center for
Intellectual Property and Information Law at Cambridge University for a very
x Acknowledgements
inspiring four months in the winter of 2017. Especially David Erdos for being such
a great host and never shy for some intellectual sparring. Julia Powles and Christina
Angelopoulos, thank you as well for all the stimulating discussions.
At the risk of forgetting many names, I would also like to thank the following
truly amazing people for the inspiring conversations and/o r collaborations without
which I would not be where I am today: Günes Acar, Paul Bernal, Reuben Binns,
Ian Brown, Lorenzo Dalla Corte, Paul-O livier Dehaye, Lilian Edwards, Gloria
González Fuster, Kirsten Gollatz, Edina Harbinja, Rob Heyman, Paulan Korenhof,
Ronald Leenes, Meg Leta Jones, Orla Lynskey, Nora Ní Loideain, Marcelo
Thompson, Joris van Hoboken, Michael Veale, and Nicolo Zingales. Thank You.
Reaching the top of Mount PhD would not have been possible without the warm
support and understanding of family and friends. I am particularly grateful to my
mother for instilling me with that sense of awe and wonder that makes life so fas-
cinating. Thank you to both of my grandmothers who I admire for being the rebels
and artists they are. And of course, thank you Laura, without whom I would have
been long lost in the woods. You walked by me all along, enduring yet encour-
aging me while I was spiralling around the top for years and actively supporting me
during the last stretch straight to the top. You make everything possible.
Jef Ausloos
September 2018
