France orders Google to delete even more stuff from search results

This picture taken on December 10, 2013 shows Google's logo at the Google cultural hub in Paris. The Lab is a place in the French capital designed to enable artists, museums, foundations and other cultural players to meet the US giant's engineers and gain access to its technology. France's culture minister on December 10 cancelled her attendance at the Paris launch of the Google cultural hub at the last minute, in a snub to the US giant over data protection and other issues. AFP PHOTO/JOEL SAGET (Photo credit should read JOEL SAGET/AFP/Getty Images)

Joel Saget — AFP/Getty Images

It’s France vs. Google, round 2.

The European nation’s data-protection regulator has ordered Google to expand its efforts to take down search results that it says violate the privacy of European citizens, according to The Wall Street Journal

Google has been complying with individual requests to take down search entries as long as those search results are not in the public interest. But until now Google has limited that activity to country-specific domains, such as google.fr. On Friday, French regulators said that the company must take search results down across all of its websites.

Thus far, the search giant has resisted such a move, as it does not want individual countries like France to determine the rules for the global Internet. The French privacy regulator could fine Google upwards of $168,000 if it doesn’t comply, although Google could fight the fine in court.