Because i was bummed out on lemmy and i just did not want to have a presence here anymore. And honestly this topic feels like a reminder to delete my account again, haha. But i won’t, so that maybe one, two other people may delete their accounts better than me.
Comment on [PSA] Lemmy account deletion is a mess
hendrik@palaver.p3x.de 4 days ago
Out of curiosity: What's a reason to delete all the content? I don't want to imply you shouldn't be able to do so... But I often find it very annoying when people delete large quantities of stuff. Because that also deletes the comments I made, which took me time to write. It deletes my bookmarks. And sometimes people regularly wipe their history which removes technical questions along with the correct answers and other material that might prove useful to other people, if it weren't deleted...
I'd like to understand the perspectives and two sides of that coin.
bonjour@lemmy.world 3 days ago
hendrik@palaver.p3x.de 3 days ago
Hmmh, not sure if I'm experiencing a Déjà vu, or if this is just because I've talked to some people who were complaining about some aspect of the platform and saying they're going to quit. Anyways, I wish that you're somehow going to find what you're looking for. Whether it's on this platform or somewhere else.
bonjour@lemmy.world 3 days ago
Oh right, i think i was telling you that when you asked this in the world matrix chat, when I showed up there, talking about my problem deleting the account in December.
Interesting edit.
Mac@mander.xyz 3 days ago
I hate it so much when people delete useful information.
smeg@feddit.uk 3 days ago
Data privacy (the “right to be forgotten”) I’d say is the main reason. Say you realise that you’ve built up a little to much linkable information about yourself over the years and don’t want it readily available for whoever might want to make use of it.
hendrik@palaver.p3x.de 3 days ago
Good use-case. Would it suffice to "unlink" the information in that case, instead of deleting it? I think that'd solve both problems. The posts and comments would stay in place for everyone to keep using them, but it'd say "by [deleted user]", so it's forgotteh that you (or someone) wrote it.
I'm not sure. And we somehow need to present that to the user without overwhelming them with several options, delete account without data, delete account and unlink content, delete account and content...
JackbyDev@programming.dev 2 days ago
It doesn’t matter. If someone believes they’ve linked too much and wants to delete it, they should be able to. If someone wants to delete their content for any reason they should be able to.
gamermanh@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 days ago
Honestly? No, they should t be able to blanket delete everything theyve posted on the off chance it’s identifiable information
They should have the right to find that info and remove it, but I’m 1000% against people potentially taking down useful information from society and I do not care that people want to whine about their “right” to take their fucking ball back and end the game
So much useful info gone from Reddit because babies didn’t want to keep supporting the bad site and now good luck finding it anywhere else
smeg@feddit.uk 2 days ago
Probably a technical consideration (like what if they have an edit timestamp which would allow a dedicated person to find all the comments unlinked at the exact same time), a personal consideration (what if you actually want that information purged as thoroughly as possible), and a legal consideration (sounds like it violates the GDPR)
hendrik@palaver.p3x.de 2 days ago
Tl;dr: Yes, it's complicated.
Hmmh. I think 1) just means it has to be implemented properly. But you're right. That sounds exactly like something a developer would do. Unlink the information and at the same time add a timestamp that immediately links it again 😅
And I'm not sure about 3) I'd have to read the GDPR again. Afaik it just mandates the user is provided with the ability to do so. Not that it needs to be the default.
And 2) is kind of my question. I suppose a user who is about to delete their account, might not be super relaxed and ready to deal with the intricate details. I mean they could be pissed and want out. Or something happened and they need it to happen quickly. Either way, it's probably not the right time to bother them with 500 questions and make them learn about the consequences. Though... They need to do the right thing. Once their account is gone, and it turns out they would have liked to delete more (or less), that's not really possible any more (without manual admin intervention). So maybe it's down to: delete everything in any case, and accept that it has a negative effect on the content on the platform.
It also has to be balanced with handling abuse etc since malicious actors use the same features to cover their tracks.
But I'm probably getting way ahead of where we are. OP said deletion doesn't even propagate through the federated network correctly. So realistically, we probably don't need to bother with the details several steps down the line.