The right of oblivion (le droit a l’oubli) has a distinctly French air, perhaps more reminiscent of existentialist philosophy than of legal codes. That right, though, is enshrined in French law, providing convicted criminals with a sort of de facto expunction. Under the law, an individual who has served his sentence and completed all aspects of his criminal rehabilitation may petition to prevent the media from publishing accounts of his crime and punishment. The European Union is now attempting to transfer this …