The ruling applies to every search engine.
90%+ of Europeans use google. How many use DuckDuckGo? So not having that stuff on google is pretty effective.
how about Usenet and news aggregator sites like HackerNews?
It only covers EU 'based' search engines. If DDG has no servers in Europe, I don't think they have to do anything to comply with this ruling.
And that works because they are pretty much irrelevant right now. I doubt they could get aways with no presence in on of their biggest markets, if the reach something like 25-50% market share.
I think the point that the parent was also trying to make is that even if this would effect only Google it's still very important because let's face it, almost nobody uses DDG. At least in Europe and compared to Google.
I'm actually happy that it can't "go away" that simply.
What strikes me with what's happening with the "Right to forgetten" is how it "shouldn't" work this way IMHO. When something shameful/problematic for some people go down in history, it must not be dealt with in the future by "removing" it from history, but rather by educating, improving. E.g.: for these persons who found themselves in trouble, showing they're not this kind of person anymore, or that this was a mistake and they know it.
The "Right to be forgotten" is an attempt to rewrite/erase history, while the correct thing to do would be showing these facts are, actually, "history".
showing they're not this kind of person anymore
However, it doesn't work that way. Just because Google might forget you doesn't mean DuckDuckGo and friends will, how about Usenet and news aggregator sites like HackerNews?
No matter how much these people want whatever happened to go away that can't and won't happen, it's only a matter of time until this new law is abolished too.