Dominican Constitutional Court limits right to be forgotten

The Constitutional Court has established limits on the ability of citizens to demand the removal of news articles from media outlets through habeas data actions. The court ruled that media organizations cannot be forced to delete truthful, legitimate, and public-interest news simply because its presence causes personal harm to the subject.

To successfully request the removal of information, a claimant must generally prove that the data is false, inaccurate, biased, originates from an illegitimate source, or violates personal data protection principles. This ruling balances the individual's right to control personal data against the media's right to report on matters of public interest.

The decision follows a rejected appeal by former Haitian diplomat Ronal Beldor against Grupo Diario Libre and Google LLC. Beldor sought the removal of 2019 reports stating he was under investigation in connection with a drug trafficking network linked to César Emilio Peralta. The Court determined the information was based on official sources, concerned public interest, and did not present Beldor as guilty, but rather as a subject of an investigation.