The right to be forgotten vs the right to remember

On October 10, 2016 the Belgian State Archives organised a congress to reflect upon the impact of the GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) on the core activities of archive services and on their relationship with citizens and users.

Recently applicable throughout the European Union since 25th May 2018, the GDPR guarantees a better protection of personal data and gives individuals more rights regarding their personal data, including the so-called ‘right to be forgotten’.

Eminent speakers from abroad, senior public servants, legal practitioners and archivists with extensive knowledge and international experience reflected on the priorities of archive services, on issues and opportunities to live up to criteria such as accessibility, reliability, authenticity and completeness. But also on tools and procedures to defend and facilitate the importance of the right to information.

Contributions to this edited volume are made by Joëlle Jouret and Willem Debeuckelaere (Data Protection Authority, Belgium), Patrick Van Eecke and Peter Craddock (DLA Piper), Andrea Hänger (Bundesarchiv, Germany), Hervé Lemoine and Bruno Ricard (Service Interministériel des Archives de France), Giulia Barrera (Directorate General of Archives, Italy), Dirk Luyten (CegeSoma/State Archives, Belgium), Florent Thouvenin and Kento Reutimann (Center for Information Technology, Society, and Law – University of Zurich, Switzerland), with a preface by Karin Van Honacker and Karel Velle (State Archives, Belgium).