A Request to Revise Account Deletion Poicy

[The Recherche 29,968]

This is not an easy topic to make, but it is ultimately one I consider worth making.

To keep this succinct, I would like to delete my MLPF account for various personal reasons. However, a somewhat new MLPF policy now prohibits this, so that content on MLPF can be managed a bit easier, from what I understand. Though I understand the technical nightmare that MLPF can be, from my brief experience as a Staffer, I ultimately believe it benefits the users of MLPF the most, even though it likely concerns endeavors outside of MLPF.

If there are any other reasons for this policy to exist, I would like to discuss and potentially negotiate them with the Staff at large. Input from other users is also welcome, since this topic may be deceptively complex. One way or another, I am hoping for this to be as constructive of a discussion as possible.

[cuteycindyhoney 13,307]

I don't mean to sound, well, mean, but why does it have to be deleted? If you are worried someone might see it, there's no real problem. All you need to do is change your user name to something neutral, (Like "Retired") delete the avatar picture/signature, and walk away.

Edited February 13, 2020 by cuteycindyhoney

[The Recherche 29,968]

3 minutes ago, cuteycindyhoney said:

I don't mean to sound, well, mean, but why does it have to be deleted? If you are worried someone might see it, there's no real problem. All you need to do is change your user name to something neutral, (Like "Retired") delete the avatar picture/signature, and walk away.

True, but it is still possible to to view a user's account name history once you create an account, which is a very simple process.

Truly, I am not so much worried about someone unsavory seeing my content; I barely post pertinent information about myself, it is more an issue of simply wanting a greater degree of agency over the content I post online. It is impossible to permanently delete content off of the internet, of course, but I would like the option to remove my account on MLPF as many other websites allow.

Simply put, I would like 2020 Recherche to live without the burdens of 2018 Recherche, if that makes sense. I have matured quite a lot in the past two years, and I would like to put my more... unsavory episodes behind me.

[cuteycindyhoney 13,307]

3 minutes ago, The Recherche said:

True, but it is still possible to to view a user's account name history once you create an account, which is a very simple process.

Truly, I am not so much worried about someone unsavory seeing my content; I barely post pertinent information about myself, it is more an issue of simply wanting a greater degree of agency over the content I post online. It is impossible to permanently delete content off of the internet, of course, but I would like the option to remove my account on MLPF as many other websites allow.

Simply put, I would like 2020 Recherche to live without the burdens of 2018 Recherche, if that makes sense. I have matured quite a lot in the past two years, and I would like to put my more... unsavory episodes behind me.

I understand. I don't know if that is possible with the site setup though (I really have no clue!) Good luck!

[Mirage 24,766]

My feedback to the feedback is...

Content deletions cause a great deal of troubles with the site as a whole. Many times our decisions are knee-jerk, and I'm guilty of it, and if the Staff deleted all posts upon every request and it became a norm, it would just be total chaos. The entropy factor is kinda scary once you think about it... There'd be discontinuity everywhere, and uncertainty and confusion for other members caught in the crossfire.

 

I don't know what you did or what you're ashamed of @The Recherche, but if it was a situation or two, I'd just discuss it with the Staff in private and try to reach an agreement. If you need a mediator, I'd be happy to volunteer.

[SparklingSquirrels 21,341]

I guess you could move to Europe?

Honestly I think everyone (except public figures obviously), not just Europeans, should have a "right to be forgotten" but we live in a segregated world, unfortunately. Perhaps one day in the future these policies will be extended to other western nations (I think California is starting to do something similar).

Huh, nevermind, apparently that policy only applies to websites within the EU. So I'm unsure why mods of a Canadian website are granting that privilege to EU users.

Edited February 14, 2020 by SparklingSwirls

[Oblivion 20,266]

Wait is it illegal for accounts in the u.s. to be deleted for legal reasons???

 

[Jeric 46,851]

New policy? 
 

The old policy was we don’t delete accounts for any reason period. The new policy was that we, as a courtesy, will take into account the EU requirements. For users that fall outside that law we have made exceptions for extremely old ass accounts where the user has limited or no content on here. In all those cases the original content is preserved, but the username and profile is anonymizes. For users with an expansive history it’s a no. You realize that if I wanted my account deleted there are hundreds of quotes that will contain names or text mentions of names, all of which are also indexed by Google. Sort of defeats the purpose. 
 

So we have revised the policy. Currently we don’t delete accounts because the person wants to sever ties. I am a hard liner on this policy in most cases. Sorry all 

As @Mirage stated staff can hide the occasional post, status, etc that you are embarrassed by. We do that often enough. We can even change the “author” of a topic so that a topic is preserved if your created one you no longer wish to be associated with