Yahoo Japan also ordered by courts to cut search results

[bill]

http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2015/12/08/national/crime-legal/court-tells-yahoo-japan-like-told-google-strike-search-results-plaintiff/ [japantimes.co.jp]

Yahoo, Google ordered by courts in Tokyo, Sapporo to cut search results suggesting criminal behavior

The Tokyo District Court on Dec. 1 issued an injunction ordering Yahoo Japan Corp. to remove some Internet search results that a man claimed suggest he may have been involved in a past crime.

The decision came after the court in October last year ordered Google Inc. to remove search results for the same plaintiff.

The man argued that his personal rights had been violated.

[tangor]

The Sapporo resident in his 50s was slapped with a summary fine of ¥200,000 after being arrested in 2003, according to a court decision verified by his lawyer.

How odd... there is an arrest record and fine. Even if it was 12 years back and he's been good as gold since, the record is the record.

Having said that, there are things that should disappear naturally, so I can sympathize. Yet, where is the proof that this old information is causing any harm? After all, it is not defamation (the truth is not defamatory).

On the other hand, I don't know what is worse: Search Engines getting EVERYTHING and posting it FOREVER, or Governments and Individuals changing search results because they don't like them. Censorship of any kind is a slippery slope, even under the best intentions.

[bill]

From the earlier case I believe I recall him noting that these unwanted results came up in the SERPs when employers searched his name as a reason.Not sure if this case has invoked the dreaded Streisand-effect for his name though.

[lucy24]

when employers searched his name

In Japan, criminal background checks are done via search engines on the public internet? Who knew?

[tangor]

Is it G or is it the judiciary that needs to be censored? After all, where the heck did G get the info in the first place? Minor sidetrack on the OP, but you gotta ask!

Final thought on this: Public information (court actions) is still public (unless sealed), even if G is forbidden, so the cranky fellow unhappy will still have to deal with that. It's called a background check.

[bill]

In Japan, criminal background checks are done via search engines on the public internet?

Just standard due diligence. Not a real criminal background check. I don't think they do criminal background checks in Japan for employment on a regular basis. Regardless, if someone searches your name and articles about criminal charges dominate the SERPs, and you don't have the wherewithal to SEO it out, this was the way this guy managed to somewhat clear his name. All this press must have had some effect on the SERPs...although I can't easily locate the guy's name from most of the recent articles.

I have read about another case where the Japanese plaintiff was a dentist who was arrested more than five years ago on "suspicion of instructing an unqualified staff member to administer medical treatments". He was convicted and fined for it, and the conviction came up in the SERPs. In this case we might be more forgiving... However, I believe case linked above involves a guy who was convicted of molesting an underage girl. [mainichi.jp...] You have to understand that in Japan if you seriously express regret you can be forgiven or shown leniency for some quite heinous crimes that might carry a much heavier penalty elsewhere.