BRUSSELS, June 25. /ITAR-TASS reporter Tatiana Kolomasova /. Google is obliged to follow the letter of European law on protection of personal data, but at the same time should not remove confidential information from its search engine. This decision on the claim of a Spanish citizen against the company announced today the Advocate General at the European Court of Justice Niilo Jääskinen.
In his opinion, it is impossible to forbid the system to find information on the Internet, even if it is of a private nature. Companies providing Internet search, "are not responsible for finding during this process the personal data in accordance with the European Directive on its protection", says the statement released by the Advocate General. The responsibility for finding information by request bears the owner of the site on which it was posted.
At the same time, he did not agree with the point of view of some American companies that they do not fall under the jurisdiction of the European legislation on the protection of personal data.
A Spanish citizen filed a lawsuit in connection with the fact that when typing his name in the search query of Google one could see an old ad of 1998 about the sale of his house for debts. In total, about 180 similar claims were filed in Spain.
The final decision on the case is expected to be taken by the court until the end of the year. As practice shows, the EU Court of Justice does not necessarily share the position of advocates, but often makes decisions based on their recommendations.
Google has welcomed the decision of the Advocate General, adding that "this is a good position from the point of view of freedom of speech."