VOA慢速英语2014 你能清除互联网上的信息吗?

 

AS IT IS 2014-05-21 Can You Erase¹ Information on the Internet? 你能清除互联网上的信息吗?

The European Court of Justice recently ruled in a case involving the Internet search engine Google.  The court ruled that Google must sometimes, on request, remove links to reports containing personal information.  The case has led to a public debate about this “right to be forgotten.”  Many people are now asking, which is more important: the right to privacy² or the freedom of information? 

Glenn Gabe is president of G-Squared Interactive³.  The company has provided digital marketing⁴ services to businesses, business leaders and movie stars.  He says many people have something in their past that they would like to remove from the Internet.

“They went to prison, right?  And maybe 10 years ago everything happened and everything’s still showing up in Google on page one, even though they’ve paid their dues.”

Marc Rotenberg is head of the Electronic Privacy Information Center.  He agrees with the European Court of Justice that privacy is a basic right.

“You have to consider the ability of individuals to control the dissemination⁵ of information about themselves.  That is, in many respects, the core of free expression – how we choose to express ourselves or not to say things or do things – that’s, you know, it makes us human.”

In the United States, a number of privacy activists⁶ disagree with the European court’s Google ruling.  Jules Polonetsky is head of a group called the Future of Privacy Forum⁷.  He says the ruling is likely to limit the freedom of information.

“So if someone can tell search engines or news aggregators or maybe bloggers, ‘Sorry, that information tells us about some individual, that individual doesn’t want to be found.  You need to take it down,’ the effects really could be dramatic.  It breaks the Internet.”

The European Court ordered Google to remove links containing personal information about a Spanish lawyer.  He asked the company to take down links to his 1998 tax problems because the information was old and no longer important.

The right to a free press is noted⁸ in the United States Constitution, but the right to privacy is suggested only indirectly⁹. 

Jules Polonetsky says the right to public information must be protected.

“So it’s a real blow to transparency if legal, public information can be obscured¹⁰ simply because somebody decides that it’s information that they would rather not be available.”

Marc Rotenberg disagrees.  He says the European judges did a good job of balancing privacy with press freedom.

“And what the European Court of Justice has done with this decision is to say, in effect, you know, search is an important service, but it has to be done in a way that protects privacy.”

The court ruling will be costly¹¹ for Google and other search engines in Europe.  But it is not expected to affect their U.S. operations any time soon. 

1 erase   

v.擦掉；消除某事物的痕迹

参考例句：

• He tried to erase the idea from his mind.他试图从头脑中抹掉这个想法。
• Please erase my name from the list.请把我的名字从名单上擦去。

2 privacy   

n.私人权利，个人自由，隐私权

参考例句：

• In such matters,privacy is impossible.在这类事情中，保密是不可能的。
• She wept in the privacy of her own room.她在自己房内暗暗落泪。

3 interactive   

adj.相互作用的，互相影响的，（电脑）交互的

参考例句：

• The psychotherapy is carried out in small interactive groups.这种心理治疗是在互动的小组之间进行的。
• This will make videogames more interactive than ever.这将使电子游戏的互动性更胜以往。

4 marketing   

n.行销，在市场的买卖，买东西

参考例句：

• They are developing marketing network.他们正在发展销售网络。
• He often goes marketing.他经常去市场做生意。

5 dissemination   

传播,宣传,传染(病毒)

参考例句：

• The dissemination of error does people great harm. 谬种流传，误人不浅。
• He was fully bent upon the dissemination of Chinese culture all over the world. 他一心致力于向全世界传播中国文化。

6 activists   

n.（政治活动的）积极分子，活动家( activist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His research work was attacked by animal rights activists . 他的研究受到了动物权益维护者的抨击。
• Party activists with lower middle class pedigrees are numerous. 党的激进分子中有很多出身于中产阶级下层。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 forum   

n.论坛，讨论会

参考例句：

• They're holding a forum on new ways of teaching history.他们正在举行历史教学讨论会。
• The organisation would provide a forum where problems could be discussed.这个组织将提供一个可以讨论问题的平台。

8 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

9 indirectly   

adv.间接地，不直接了当地

参考例句：

• I heard the news indirectly.这消息我是间接听来的。
• They were approached indirectly through an intermediary.通过一位中间人，他们进行了间接接触。

10 obscured   

v.使…模糊不清，掩盖( obscure的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• All trace of his working-class background was deliberately obscured. 他工人阶级出身的所有痕迹都给有意地隐藏起来了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Heavy mists hung in the valley and obscured the mountains. 蒙蒙雾霭笼罩着山谷，遮掩了群山。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

11 costly   

adj.昂贵的，价值高的，豪华的

参考例句：

• It must be very costly to keep up a house like this.维修这么一幢房子一定很昂贵。
• This dictionary is very useful,only it is a bit costly.这本词典很有用，左不过贵了些。