PCC rejects privacy complaint from man who objected to coverage of his successful ‘right to be forgotten’ request

The Press Complaints Commission has rejected a privacy complaint by a man who objected to his 'right to be forgotten' request being reported.

Robert Daniels-Dwyer was judged by Google to have the 'right to be forgotten' over a 2006 Oxford Mail story reporting his conviction for stealing £200 worth of items from Boots.

In response the Oxford Mail, published a story reporting the fact that the story would not show up on Google under certain search terms.

While Press Gazette made reference to the story, Holdthefrontpage, the Essex County Standard and The Guardian followed up the report in detail.

And Holdthefrontpage today reports that all four publishers were subject to a PCC complaint from Daniels-Dwyer under clause 3 (privacy) of the Editors' Code of Practice.

The complaint was rejected, with the website reporting that “the Commission said continued publication of information already in the public domain did not constitute a breach of privacy”.

Holdthefrontpage reports the PCC as saying: “Given the importance of the general principle of open justice, the Commission did not consider that its continued publication represented a failure to respect the complainant’s private life.”