To lay out this story....two German guys...were in Canada...and at some point in 1990...they killed a guy (he was an actor, if it matters).
The two German guys end up in court....get sentenced....and then get released by 2008.
Someone out there....decided to write up a Wiki article, and they created this entire event. They wrote the two names, and gave all the facts.
This past week...the two German guys...now free men and out of jail....set up a lawsuit against the "charity" behind Wikipedia....saying that its inclusion of detail of their life and crime infringes upon their right to privacy.
It is a test of sorts.
"He who controls the past, controls the future"....is a wonderful quote to toss into this mess.
If the case concludes and Wiki has to delete the entire record or at least delete their names....then the entire value of Wiki comes into play. (Frankly, the value of Wiki is currently marginal and barely a plus-point, but that's an entirely different story to write).
Lots of folks could come up and claim that their privacy has been messed with and then demand Wiki remove them. Why not the Google guys next, or newspapers?
The court is given a juicy case in this episode. The guys are afforded certain rights....erasing history on their event is what makes this different from previous cases.
I hate to defend Wiki....because their incompetence in general....but I'd like to see history remain available for folks. Erasing history...brings up lots of potential episodes...all to be forgotten in a decade or two.
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