~I wish to acknowledge my husband, Reed Bolton Byrum, a diligent editor and constant supporter during the authorship of this book. My research team, Donald J. Baumgartner and Elizabeth Ann Sabol, dutifully navigated structure, editing, and deadlines throughout the process. Librarians at Bloomsburg University of...

~This text examines the implementation of the European Right to Be Forgotten, a part of the European General Data Protection Regulation that sanctions removal of information from search engines, allowing for the creation of “memory holes.” The book addresses the specter of a similar adoption in the...

~Just view these startling contemporary headlines: The Washington Post reports Russian meddling in United States 2016 Presidential Election (Shapiro, 2017). A leading trust study indicates that social media platforms and search engines contribute to the fact that the media is the least trusted institution...

~To understand the current context about the European right to be forgotten, we must explore the current landscape for web governance in Europe and across the globe. This book focuses on the provision in the European General Data Protection Regulation that allows for the removal of information from search engines...

~Imagine walking into a fruit-and-vegetable market on a sunny summer morning. The merchants present their wares from colorful tables, showcasing the outcome of months of hard work, planting seeds, watering the plants, eliminating weeds, and carefully tending to the burgeoning buds to promote growth. Each farmer...

~When an American voter steps into the voting booth, the individual brings with them a specific body of knowledge, a cadre of beliefs developed through a lifetime of experiences and perceptions of the world around them, changed by exposure to various information sources. The cacophony of media sources churns...

~The specter of government intrusion into the free flow of information in society signals a loud alarm for many Americans who cherish the ability to freely communicate. Woven into the fabric of U.S. freedoms, freedom of speech represents a bedrock principle in a nation safeguarded and guaranteed by the U.S....

~Students in the United States engaged in high school and college activities receive repeated advice from mentors and teachers that “the Internet never forgets,” as a warning to exercise caution when placing personal data onto the web and social media. Pictures of fraternity brothers drinking beer...

~Every day, citizens willingly upload information about every facet of their personal lives to the World Wide Web, telling stories about arguments with loved ones, personal vacations, achievements, and sorrows. Through social media outlets, friends become an “audience” to share these intimate...

~The chilling influence of government interference on information retrieval and the ability of private companies to arbitrarily delete data from search engine results foretell trouble for the free world. Historical insights reveal the connection between censorship and totalitarianism. While the European...

~Amid the cacophony of concerns over privacy, data retention, and personal identity, the overriding need to protect the First Amendment of the United States remains imperative, because freedom of speech and historical accuracy perform integral roles in the practice of contemporary democracy. We may need to look...

~While the European right to be forgotten guides practices in Europe, the movement by the European Union prompts American jurisprudence to truly consider the application of the First Amendment to the web, unearthing issues related to World Wide Web governance and the regulation of search engines as “data...

~I wrote this book amid an atmosphere of dynamic forces influencing the availability of online information. Today, we notice new breaches of the traditional wall between journalism and paid media. The total availability of information may confound the viewer. The Digital Age information consumer is daunted by...

 

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Kristie Byrum, PhD, APR, Fellow PRSA, is a global communications scholar with decades of rich experience as a professor, business executive, and journalist working in various roles in marketing, consulting, and entrepreneurism. She is an award-winning professional and honored member of the Public Relations Society of America’s College of Fellows who actively works to advance strategic...