The title should actually be more in question form; Did you know that there’s even a difference between being erased and being forgotten?
Article 17 of the GDPR is “Right to erasure (‘right to be forgotten’)“, which suggests they are the same thing. They are not [quite], and I think the only reason the right to be forgotten was added in brackets is because everyone was already calling it that. But it’s just not accurate …enough.
The right to be forgotten is intended to allow an individual to “determine the development of their life in an autonomous way, without being perpetually or periodically stigmatized as a consequence of a specific action performed in the past.” For example; you may have been guilty of a minor criminal offence 30 years ago, which in the UK would likely make that offence “spent” (i.e. it should not be considered in any decisions against you related to insurance, employment, loans and so forth). However, if this criminal record has been posted online then duplicated in numerous forms all over the place, it will never go away. In other words, you’ve paid your ‘debt to society’ but it will haunt you for the rest of your days.
