Why Do We Have The Right To Be Forgotten Essay

Do we have a right to be forgotten digitally? This question cannot be answered by a simple yes or no. I believe there are different circumstances in which certain people should have the right while others should not. Minor crimes and crimes committed by minors should be able to be forgotten if it will not cause harm to anyone in the future. Major crimes like murder or rape should not be forgotten though. Other reasons we should not have the right to be forgotten is because, we still need history. People who do amazing things or discover new things should not have the right to be forgotten along with their discoveries and accomplishments. As of right now minors who commit minor crimes can have it dropped after they turn eighteen if they do
That is why I believe major crimes committed by adults should not have the right to be forgotten. A hypothetical example would be if a man decided to murder someone and was convicted. Years later he is released from jail, but what he did has been posted all over the internet so everyone knows who he is and not many people talk to him. Even though this decreases the happiness of this man that murdered someone, from an Utilitarism’s point of view this is the better option. It is the better option because it causes happiness to everyone who knows for they can protect themselves and be cautious of the people around them. Utilitarism thinks of all of the consequences and picks the option with the most net gain of happiness. Another example is of a Rapist and their victim. People should have the right to know who the convicted rapists are. They will be more comfortable and feel safer knowing the faces that they need to stay away from. As for the victim that is a different story. The victim should have the right to be forgotten. If the victim does not want everyone to know that they were raped then they should have the choice to be forgotten. Being raped is a personal and is an invasion of privacy. When most people see a picture of a victim of rape online we are not gaining happiness, but sadness. Going back to an Utilitarism’s point of view, having pictures and the names
An example of a minor crime made by an adult would be exceeding the speed limit and wrecking their vehicle, or being caught with marijuana and being arrested. These minor crimes often will not harm anyone around you in the future and will just hinder your future careers if posted on the internet. This information does not need to be disclosed for everyone to see but can still be in the database. It would be available to see when doing background checks or if the law enforcement needed it. Future employers do not need to know about these minor crimes because it does not affect your work in their workplace. Having your embarrassing moments online and not being able to escape from them is an invasion of your privacy. This is your personal information that included you and nobody else. In Utilitarism this would not be the best option because it does not have a large net gain of happiness. Keeping information on people who have discovered amazing things and will eventually be a part of our history is a different story. People who have discovered remedies, new scientific findings, or have impacted our society enough to be put in history books later in life do not have the right to be forgotten. In an Utilitarism view there is the most net gain of happiness when their discoveries are shared among the people and not kept to themselves. Utilitarism wants you to do what they would want them to do for you. A hypothetical