Date of Defense
20-11-2025 9:00 AM
Location
H2-0012
Document Type
Dissertation Defense
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy in Private Law
College
COL
Department
Private Law
First Advisor
Prof. El-Mu'tasim Billah Al-Ghariani
Keywords
The right to be forgotten digitally, The controller, The processor, Search engines, social media platforms.
Abstract
This dissertation addresses the right to be forgotten in the digital environment as one of the most significant emerging rights in today’s information society. It aims to clarify the theoretical, jurisprudential, and judicial foundations of this right, analyze its legal nature and sources, and delineate its scope and limits while balancing it against freedom of expression, the public’s right to know, and the requirements of the digital economy. The research employed a multidisciplinary methodology combining the descriptive-analytical approach in examining legal texts and international instruments, the comparative method between the European experience—particularly the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)—and Arab legislation in the UAE and Egypt, as well as the judicial approach through an analysis of landmark case law such as Google Spain (2014), and Google v. CNIL (2019).
The dissertation concludes that the right to be forgotten is not absolute but is subject to key restrictions linked to public interest, national security, scientific research, and historical archiving. It also finds that European case law served as the cornerstone in transforming this right from a theoretical notion into a legally recognized framework, later codified explicitly in Article 17 of the GDPR. While the UAE and Egypt have both recognized the rights of deletion and rectification, they have not yet fully crystallized the comprehensive concept of the right to be forgotten as developed in Europe. This highlights the need for clearer procedural mechanisms that would allow individuals to exercise this right effectively.
The findings contribute academically by enriching Arab scholarship on data protection in the digital era, and legislatively by guiding national lawmakers toward strengthening the balance between protecting individuals and accommodating the needs of the digital economy. Socially, the study underscores that the right to be forgotten is a vital tool for preserving human dignity and reputation in the face of permanent digital archiving. In doing so, the dissertation fills a clear scholarly gap in Arab legal studies, which often approached the subject only partially or theoretically. It provides a comprehensive perspective that integrates doctrine, legislation, and case law, while also introducing a novel dimension by linking the right to be forgotten with the imperatives of digital transformation and the knowledge economy.
Included in
THE RIGHT TO BE FORGOTTEN IN THE DIGITAL AGE
H2-0012
This dissertation addresses the right to be forgotten in the digital environment as one of the most significant emerging rights in today’s information society. It aims to clarify the theoretical, jurisprudential, and judicial foundations of this right, analyze its legal nature and sources, and delineate its scope and limits while balancing it against freedom of expression, the public’s right to know, and the requirements of the digital economy. The research employed a multidisciplinary methodology combining the descriptive-analytical approach in examining legal texts and international instruments, the comparative method between the European experience—particularly the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)—and Arab legislation in the UAE and Egypt, as well as the judicial approach through an analysis of landmark case law such as Google Spain (2014), and Google v. CNIL (2019).
The dissertation concludes that the right to be forgotten is not absolute but is subject to key restrictions linked to public interest, national security, scientific research, and historical archiving. It also finds that European case law served as the cornerstone in transforming this right from a theoretical notion into a legally recognized framework, later codified explicitly in Article 17 of the GDPR. While the UAE and Egypt have both recognized the rights of deletion and rectification, they have not yet fully crystallized the comprehensive concept of the right to be forgotten as developed in Europe. This highlights the need for clearer procedural mechanisms that would allow individuals to exercise this right effectively.
The findings contribute academically by enriching Arab scholarship on data protection in the digital era, and legislatively by guiding national lawmakers toward strengthening the balance between protecting individuals and accommodating the needs of the digital economy. Socially, the study underscores that the right to be forgotten is a vital tool for preserving human dignity and reputation in the face of permanent digital archiving. In doing so, the dissertation fills a clear scholarly gap in Arab legal studies, which often approached the subject only partially or theoretically. It provides a comprehensive perspective that integrates doctrine, legislation, and case law, while also introducing a novel dimension by linking the right to be forgotten with the imperatives of digital transformation and the knowledge economy.