Answering a formal query from privacy commissioner Daniel Therrien, a Federal Court judge said Canada’s Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) covers the results of Google searches. (The Logic)

Talking point: Therrien asked the court to rule on the extent of his own jurisdiction when an unnamed applicant complained that Google searches turned up news stories with “outdated and inaccurate information” about him. Justice Jocelyne Gagné found that search engines use private information in ways covered by PIPEDA and aren’t protected by exceptions built into the law covering journalistic activity. That means Therrien could hypothetically order search engines to remove links to pages that contain personal information, in pursuit of a “right to be forgotten.” But Gagné didn’t address whether search results are a form of expression protected by the Charter of Rights, all but guaranteeing future litigation.