Suggestion: Self-Delete Functionality for Europe

[+DReffects2 103]

Hi IPS Team,

since it a kind of requireent over here: Could you add a self-delete option to your roadmap?

Suggested Features:

• Complete Self-Delete
• Partial Self-Delete
  • Delete Account?
  • Delete posted text-content?
  • Delete posted attachemts?
  • Delete posted photos / avatars
  • Delete gallery contributions
  • Delete recorded IP adresses
  • etc.
• Admin-Switch on those options to allow them or not
• Undo-Function for Self-Delete for a 30 day grace period
• 2-Step Validation System for self delete

Thanks

[Lindy 8,580]

We can certainly see how the feedback develops of course, but I'm not sure it's something IPS has a strong interest in doing right now. A community isn't like Facebook - the site owner/administrator retains interest in your content upon submission, not you. Allowing users to delete their content and account would be extremely disruptive and confusing to conversational flow of a community. 

I personally feel that if someone wants their account deleted, it's best to contact the site administrator to have it reviewed on a case by case basis. At IPS, we will not delete accounts. 

[Elision Magazine 20]

This would be pretty awesome to see in a future update, or at least having the feature to let the community decide if they want to terminate their own account, which will help eliminate the dead accounts build up.

[+opentype 5,229]

At IPS, we will not delete accounts. 

European companies would indeed have to and European users know that and request it all the time. The actual content is a different and rather complicated issue, but the account with the personal data must be deleted. I wouldn’t know why this shouldn’t be an automated process, which users can initiate and then would just appear in the moderation queue.

[Lindy 8,580]

Here you go I strongly disagree with deleting content and submissions, but if there's enough demand, we could look into self-initiated account removal and in fact that could possibly tie into another feature we have planned. 

[+DReffects2 103]

We can certainly see how the feedback develops of course, but I'm not sure it's something IPS has a strong interest in doing right now. A community isn't like Facebook - the site owner/administrator retains interest in your content upon submission, not you. Allowing users to delete their content and account would be extremely disruptive and confusing to conversational flow of a community. 

I personally feel that if someone wants their account deleted, it's best to contact the site administrator to have it reviewed on a case by case basis. At IPS, we will not delete accounts. 

People here in Europe request that indeed every other minute. Just to asure you: I am also strongly against deleting content. Yet again, Europe has forced even Google to allow the deletion of content from their search results via an automated form.

Currently I have users to acceppt my terms of service which state that everything they post becomes my intelectual property (not that I have huge personal interest in their pictures or posts) but that allows me to keep at least their posts while I am still able to delete their personal information. Of course this would NEVER EVER hold up in an European Courtroom.

There also have been at least three adhortatory letters within the last five years I've recieved from the lawyers of community members, requesting the deletion of account + content. The monetary amount in dispute ranges ususally from 30.000€ to 100.000€ and results in a fee that you have to pay between 1.200-7.000€ plus you have to sign a law binding declaration to cease and desist with a hefty fine involved if you ever should do it again.

I know that this form of legal letter isn't possible within the united states but at least in europe this is the most common way to enforce your rights. You find something that cuts your rights (like the right to self-determine what happens with your personal data) and then you let your lawyer send out this letter. Unless the claim is totally wrong the recipient has to pay the fine plus sign the declaration.

I've never taken this to court because my lawyers strongly adviced against it. You would loose.

Here you go I strongly disagree with deleting content and submissions, but if there's enough demand, we could look into self-initiated account removal and in fact that could possibly tie into another feature we have planned. 

Cool, nice find! A functionality like I've described above would be king though.

[+opentype 5,229]

Currently I have users to acceppt my terms of service which state that everything they post becomes my intelectual property…

Do you really phrase it like that? Because that itself would call for trouble.
The content doesn’t become your IP, but the owners of the IP grant you the right to store and publish the content according to the regulations you set up, as long as those regulations don’t conflict with the local laws.

[ram108 39]

if there's enough demand, we could look into self-initiated account removal and in fact that could possibly tie into another feature we have planned. 

It is not about Europe only. Since Jan 2016 Russian webmasters have to delete all requested personal data by law otherwise total web site will be blocked in the country.

Edited July 12, 2015 by ram108

[+DReffects2 103]

Do you really phrase it like that? Because that itself would call for trouble.
The content doesn’t become your IP, but the owners of the IP grant you the right to store and publish the content according to the regulations you set up, as long as those regulations don’t conflict with the local laws.

It is phrased like this:
Trough the usage of the forums the user is transfering all rights to the posted content to the operator of the community.

It is not about Europe only. Since Jan 2016 Russian webmasters have to delete all requested personal data by law otherwise total web site will be blocked in the country.

Wow, now thats even more harsh.

[+opentype 5,229]

Trough the usage of the forums the user is transfering all rights to the posted content to the operator of the community.

That’s certainly wrong. In the EU, intellectual property rights cannot be transferred at all to another person or organization.

[+DReffects2 103]

That’s certainly wrong. In the EU, intellectual property rights cannot be transferred at all to another person or organization.

Sorry, that was a bad choice of words. The ToS state, that the user transfers all usage-rights to the community owner.