Use of the internet in the fight against corruption: the Google decision and the law of unintended consequences

As lawyers and companies alike have realised, the CJEU decision has very wide implications compounded by the new Data Protection Regulation with the spectre of fines of up to 5% of the global turnover of the company. The definition of a data controller is now perceptibly very wide indeed. As many commentators have proclaimed, overreaching and overbearing data protection laws are in danger of inhibiting free speech, and there is a particular risk in the area of the exposing of corruption.