The APDCAT and the EAPC recommend exercising digital rights to remove excessive or inappropriate content from social media and digital media

The Catalan Data Protection Authority (APDCAT) and the School of Public Administration of Catalonia (EAPC) have published the ninth video in the “Let’s Talk About Personal Data” series, jointly produced by the two organizations. The video emphasizes that the emergence of AI has increased the value of personal data, as it is essential for training these systems. It has also created new risks through the mass generation of images, voices, videos, and other content now accessible to everyone. For this reason, it is especially important to protect oneself in the digital environment in order to avoid future problems.

The video therefore focuses on so-called digital rights, which help citizens protect themselves online and on social media. Specifically, it addresses the right to rectify content appearing online, such as false information or content that harms a person’s reputation. In this regard, it explains that social media platforms and digital media outlets must publish a notice alongside the original information if the content they provide is outdated.

The video also discusses the right to be forgotten in internet searches, enabling search engines to remove links containing inappropriate or inaccurate information. It further examines people’s right to delete personal data they have shared on social media. If the information is of public interest and has been published by others, individuals may request its removal if it is inaccurate or excessive and directly affects them. If the information concerns a person under the age of 18, its removal must be immediate, regardless of whether it was published by the individual concerned or by others.

More Awareness-Raising Resources

Since 2022, APDCAT and EAPC have been producing and sharing a series of videos under the title “Let’s Talk About Personal Data” to raise public awareness about the protection of personal data. The full series is available on the APDCAT website and the EAPC YouTube channel, and covers topics such as the value of personal data, video games and access to our data, extended reality and personal data protection, the risks of artificial intelligence, health data protection, browser cookies, citizens’ rights when using AI tools, and influencers and privacy.