[hooby]

I'm pretty sure that the policymakers did NOT understand ML models in 2014 - and still do NOT understand it today.

I also don't think that they care. They don't care that ML is a hodgepodge of data & compute, and they don't care how hard it is to remove data from a model.

They didn't care about the ease or difficulty of removing data from more traditional types of knowledge storage either - like search indexes, database backups and whatnot.

RTBF was not proposed with any specific technology in mind. What they had in mind, was to try and give individuals a tool, to keep their private information private. Like, if you have a private, unlisted phone number, and that number somehow ends up on the call-list of some pollster firm, you can force that firm to delete your number so that they can't call you anymore.

The idea is, that if your private phone number (or similar data) ends up being shared or sold without your consent - you can try to undo the damage.

In practice it might still be easier to get a new number, than to have your leaked one erased... but not all private data is exchangeable like that.