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The Economics of the Right to be Forgotten

Author

Listed:
  • Byung-Cheol Kim

    (School of Economics, Georgia Institute of Technology, 221 Bobby Dodd Way, Atlanta, GA 30332-0615)

  • Jin Yeub Kim

    (Department of Economics, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 1240 R Street, Lincoln, NE 68588-0489)

Abstract

We offer an economic analysis of the right to be forgotten (RTBF)-- the right to remove links from the search results --through a legal dispute game between a petitioner and a search engine. Our analysis suggests that the global expansion of the RTBF does not necessarily increase the likelihood of link removals. We also find that the RTBF expansion can either improve or reduce welfare from a social perspective. Therefore, the ongoing debate should be guided by the perspective of achieving a socially optimal level of link removals rather than of a conflict between privacy rights and free speech.

Suggested Citation

  • Byung-Cheol Kim & Jin Yeub Kim, 2015. "The Economics of the Right to be Forgotten," Working Papers 15-02, NET Institute.
    • Handle: RePEc:net:wpaper:1502
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Lucian Arye Bebchuk, 1984. "Litigation and Settlement under Imperfect Information," RAND Journal of Economics, The RAND Corporation, vol. 15(3), pages 404-415, Autumn.
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    Cited by:

    1. Fiala, Lenka & Husovec, Martin, 2022. "Using experimental evidence to improve delegated enforcement," International Review of Law and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 71(C).
    2. André Habisch & Pierre Kletz & Eva Wack, 2022. "Unpleasant Memories on the Web in Employment Relations: A Ricoeurian Approach," Humanistic Management Journal, Springer, vol. 7(2), pages 347-368, October.
    3. Doh-Shin Jeon & Byung-Cheol Kim & Domenico Menicucci, 2015. "Price Discrimination by a Two-sided Platform: with Applications to Advertising and Privacy Design," Working Papers 15-08, NET Institute.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    right to be forgotten; privacy; litigation; search engine;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • C72 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Game Theory and Bargaining Theory - - - Noncooperative Games
    • D82 - Microeconomics - - Information, Knowledge, and Uncertainty - - - Asymmetric and Private Information; Mechanism Design
    • K20 - Law and Economics - - Regulation and Business Law - - - General
    • K41 - Law and Economics - - Legal Procedure, the Legal System, and Illegal Behavior - - - Litigation Process
    • L86 - Industrial Organization - - Industry Studies: Services - - - Information and Internet Services; Computer Software

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