英语听力精选进阶版 7236

Background: 欧洲居民将第一次拥有申请“被公司忘记的权利”。根据欧盟新的隐私保护法提议，人们有权通知一个公司删除该公司在互联网上所有有关他们的个人信息。

Just how much control should people have over their online reputations?

Should they be able to demand that an unflattering photo be permanently¹ deleted from a website like Facebook? Does everything people write online have to stay there? What about bank details, addresses - can websites hold onto this information forever?

These were the kinds of questions being asked by the European Commission as it investigated the issue of internet privacy. Its guiding principle throughout has been what it called "the right to be forgotten". It has now decided² on what this mysterious sounding phrase actually means.

It means that a person does have the right to demand their personal information be permanently deleted if it is data that they themselves have put online. But they don't have the right to have things like unflattering blogs or newspaper profiles written by others deleted.

The EU Justice Commissioner³ Viviane Reding said the changes will help build trust in online services.

The Commission also says that businesses should have to tell their customers within 24 hours if their online accounts have been hacked⁴ into.

Some internet companies have reacted with concern to the proposals, warning that they could become bogged⁵ down in trying to meet the new requirements and that could affect their ability to grow.

Quiz

True or false: People have always known what 'the right to be forgotten' means.

False. It has now been decided what this means.

Will people now be able to demand that websites remove data they have uploaded themselves?

Yes.

Will people be able to demand blogs or profiles they don't like are removed?

No. They don't have the right to have things like unflattering blogs or newspaper profiles written by others deleted.

Does the EU Justice Commissioner hope to make internet users more comfortable about giving over their data?

Yes. She said the changes will help build trust in online services.

Glossary 词汇表

reputations 声誉

unflattering 不好的

deleted 被删除

investigated 调查

privacy 个人隐私

guiding principle 指导性原则

mysterious 难理解的，神秘的

blogs 博客

build trust 建立信任

hacked into 被黑客袭击

1 permanently   

adv.永恒地，永久地，固定不变地

参考例句：

• The accident left him permanently scarred.那次事故给他留下了永久的伤疤。
• The ship is now permanently moored on the Thames in London.该船现在永久地停泊在伦敦泰晤士河边。

2 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

3 commissioner   

n.（政府厅、局、处等部门）专员，长官，委员

参考例句：

• The commissioner has issued a warrant for her arrest.专员发出了对她的逮捕令。
• He was tapped for police commissioner.他被任命为警务处长。

4 hacked   

生气

参考例句：

• I hacked the dead branches off. 我把枯树枝砍掉了。
• I'm really hacked off. 我真是很恼火。

5 bogged   

adj.陷于泥沼的v.（使）陷入泥沼， （使）陷入困境( bog的过去式和过去分词 )；妨碍，阻碍

参考例句：

• The professor bogged down in the middle of his speech. 教授的演讲只说了一半便讲不下去了。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• The tractor is bogged down in the mud. 拖拉机陷入了泥沼。 来自《简明英汉词典》