In May of 2014, the top court in the European Union sided with Spanish man Mario Costeja Gonzalez against Google Spain over Gonzalez’s “right to be forgotten.” Gonzalez wanted Google to delete search results to an article about the foreclosure of his house in 1998, because he had paid his debts, and the information was irrelevant. The decision forced Google to offer the option to remove any information that could “appear to be inadequate, irrelevant or no longer relevant or excessive … in the light of the time that had elapsed,” to all citizens of EU countries.

This is a very troubling decision to a lot of people, as it very well could mean that people could whitewash any unsavory parts of their past. If a person committed a crime, and then ten years later was able to make sure that Google no longer showed any articles relating to the crime.

It is this desire for anonymity that has led to the popularity of apps like Snapchat, YikYak, Whisper and Fade. These apps allow for us to indulge in our desire to be anonymous, or to be able to have our actions disappear.

However, I am left questioning how healthy this is. I don’t believe that the desire to delete our past is a healthy one, as what you have been through and what you have experienced are a large part of what make you who you are.

The rise of social media has allowed us to document our lives in ways that we have never been able to before. However, this has had some drawbacks, as now anything stupid that you do on the internet is there forever. Anything racist, sexist or bigoted in anyway that you post on the internet is there forever. But is this a bad thing?

We learn from our mistakes, and we change for the better. If we delete our past, then how can we learn from our actions. Similarly, if we hide behind a mask of anonymity on reddit then why are we saying anything in the first place? If you are unwilling to stand by what you say, then there was no point to saying it in the first place.

But anonymity does have it’s benefits. It allows us to debate, laugh and experience the whole of what the internet has to offer without the fear of being judged by anyone. We don’t have to worry about any consequences for our actions. And sometimes that is just what we need.

Alex Bertsch is the opinion editor of The Dakota Student. He can be reached at [email protected].