Abstract Online speech platforms present novel risks to privacy and reputation. There are situations in which unique kinds of harm can indeed occur but where the law applies imperfectly. Yet legal expansions like the European “Right to Be Forgotten” would contradict several well-established tenets of American free speech law. This paper argues that the reputation-management industry (RMI) represents one set of solutions in the absence of an American Right to Be Forgotten. The RMI counsels assiduous self-monitoring, search engine optimized promotion of one’s own preferred content, and negotiation for voluntary removal by content hosts. This approach arguably helps to address the informational distortions than can be created by true accounts of unseemly conduct and mob-like expressions of vitriolic opinion online. It likewise helps to mitigate the concern that readers will form inaccurate or unduly harsh judgments based on cursory examination of search results.The RMI thus in some ways addresses the underlying gaps between legal protection and perceived harm in a manner that accords better with the emphasis on “counterspeech” in the American free speech tradition. At the same time, the article concludes by addressing some limitations that are necessary to keep the industry from threatening free-speech principles itself.

中文翻译：

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美国的声誉管理行业和“被遗忘的权利”的前景

摘要在线语音平台对隐私和声誉提出了新的风险。在某些情况下，确实可能发生独特的损害，但法律的适用不完善。然而，诸如欧洲“被遗忘权”之类的法律扩张将与美国言论自由法的一些公认原则相抵触。本文认为，在缺乏美国被遗忘权的情况下，声誉管理行业（RMI）代表了一套解决方案。RMI会进行严格的自我监控，搜索引擎优化自己偏好内容的推广以及内容托管者自愿删除的协商方面的咨询。可以说，这种方法可以帮助解决信息失真问题，而不是通过在线解释不道德行为和暴民式表情的真实陈述所造成的失真。它同样有助于减轻对读者将基于对搜索结果的粗略检查而形成的不准确或过分苛刻的判断的担忧。因此，RMI以某种方式解决了法律保护和感知损害之间的潜在差距，其方式更适合于强调美国言论自由传统中的“反言语”。同时，本文通过解决一些限制而得出结论，这些限制是防止该行业威胁自由言论原则本身的必要条件。