By Square - 23 Jul 17 7:07 PM
Hello,
I applied to Google to have links removed, and failed. By all accounts there is 'substantial public interest' in what has been written about me. I have many thoughts about the whole situation, and in a way I can see Google's point, however they do not take into account that my trial occurred on a slow news day resulting in substantial media interest in something that would have otherwise been minimally reported.
Without going into too much detail, I didn't do what I was convicted of (It has taken many years to get to a stage that I am not suicidal over that!). The reports published did not reflect my stance at all, and even contained many inaccuracies regarding what happened in the trial (lies in the prosecution exposed etc.). That is a big thing for me, because when I try to talk to people, they just come back and say 'but google doesn't say that'.
I also have an issue with how relevance works. Because of a slow news day, there are a few news stories floating about the internet. Because some are duplicated (1 reporter in court made a good deal of money out of me) and some of the linking, my results get pushed up the rankings. So the reports don't drop as time passes, where as someone with a much more serious conviction than mine plummets down the results because only one or two stories exist.
There is another thing that angers me greatly. A popular website (I'm sure some of you know it :S) copied and pasted a very inaccurate story about my conviction. There are serious errors regarding what went on in court and I cant do anything about it. I can't even contact them to get it changed because they have hidden their contact details. So ultimately they can publish what they want, push inaccurate stories to the top of search listings and they don't have to be held to account.
Anyway, moan over. I try to live my life in a good way. But I worry every time I hear a hushed conversation or my name mentioned that my conviction is 'out there' again. Sometimes it makes me so sick to my stomach and not want to leave the house.
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By Dave Lister - 30 Jul 17 12:58 PM
+xThe definition of public interest also seems quite illogical when it comes to the decision whether or not to prosecute. I'm sure many of us have seen the road-rage incident that's been on the news the last few days ("you're under a citizens' arrest, get ready to die!" "I want you dead", grabbing round the neck, threatening violence to a child, etc.). In my mind, there is more public interest in prosecuting this than in prosecuting certain other offences that regularly get prosecuted. "In most countries on the continent you are anonymous, even after conviction."
This sounds interesting. Care to elaborate?
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