France's data protection regulator CNIL has ordered Google to remove information from all versions of its search engine, not just European ones, as part of the so-called "right to be forgotten" rulling. Last year, the Court of Justice of the European Union ordered Google to respond to users' requests for delisting from the search engine. In practical terms, any individual who wants to see removed one or more results displayed following a search made on the basis of his/her name can make a request to a search engine. The search engine then reviews the request and grants it if the legal conditions are met. In case of refusal by the search engine to carry out the requested delisting, the individual can lodge a complaint with the data protection authority (in France, the CNIL), or the competent judicial authority in each Member State.

However, delisting was only carried out on the European extensions of the search engine.

CNIL says it has received hundreds of complaints following Google’s refusals to carry out delisting on Internet links (or URL).

Following the assessment of the complaints, the CNIL has requested Google to carry out the delisting of several results. It was expressly requested that the delisting should be effective on whole search engine, irrespective of the extension used (.fr; .uk; .com …).

Although the company has granted some of the requests, delisting was only carried out on European extensions of the search engine and not when searches are made from "google.com" or other non-European extensions.

In accordance with the CJEU judgement, the CNIL considers that in order to be effective, delisting must be carried out on all extensions of the search engine and that the service provided by Google search constitutes a single processing.

In this context, the President of the CNIL has put Google on notice to proceed, within a period of fifteen (15) days, to the requested delisting on the whole data processing and thus on all extensions of the search engine.

CNIL said that if Google does not comply within 15 days, the regulator can move to impose sanctions on the company.