[4.7.11] Account deletion request: No options what to do with the user's content?

[MMXII]

When approving an account deletion request, the message says:

"Please confirm that you want to delete %s. The member's content will be left in the database, but flagged as Guest content."

What does this mean exactly? Will the content show up under an anonymous guest post, a post under the original username with an added "(Guest)" to it? And why is there no option to delete the user's content?

When deleting an account manually, we get all sorts of options. If that is really missing here, then I suggest you add this to account deletion requests.

[Stuart Silvester]

It will show 'guest' next to posts without their display name.

[MMXII]

@Stuart Silvester Thanks for the info.

Can you then please move this to your feedback forum? Because I think when deleting an account based on an account deletion request, the admin should get the same options like manually deleting a member, which is:

• delete the user's posts
• hide the user's posts (with options to either keep the user's name or make it anonymous)
• keep the user's posts (also with options to either keep the user's name or make it anonymous)

[Stuart Silvester]

Sure, moved. It makes sense really.

[Fast Lane!]

+1 

The fact that the posts remain and the user name is simply changed to (effectively) now guest is not at all the behavior that the actual tools presents to the user.

 

This explicitly states that the content is deleted.  There are many cases where the is PII in the content which is what the member wants purged.  Shifting the content to a guest feels misleading and would make it even harder to find later to purge.

 

**Note: I think in most cases the default (current) approach is the baseline action.  However in some cases actually purging content (at the admins decision level) is appropriate.

Edited July 14, 2023 by Fast Lane!

[Adriano Faria]

2 minutes ago, Fast Lane! said:

This explicitly states that the content is deleted.

Nope. Personal data is the user name, email address, photo, IPs, etc. Content isn’t personal.

[Fast Lane!]

5 hours ago, Adriano Faria said:

Nope. Personal data is the user name, email address, photo, IPs, etc. Content isn’t personal.

Disagree, in some cases.  See: https://gdpr.eu/eu-gdpr-personal-data/

This data can easily be contained within posts.  It's an assumption that a member did not post PII in their posts -- ever.  In fact, in many cases members request account and content deletion because they over shared information over time like their email, address or legal status in their posted content.

If as an admin you take the position to not delete that information (anonymize content) that is a right, but not a protection.  Should there have been PII in that posted content that remains then the 'right to delete' provision (and protections against) may be challenged. 

My request was to give the admin the option to make that decision, based on the uniqueness of each situation.  Anonymize or delete posted content.  I get it -- deleting content can reduce site content, but that is second to compliance.

Edited July 15, 2023 by Fast Lane!

[Fast Lane!]

.

Edited July 15, 2023 by Fast Lane!

[opentype]

12 hours ago, Fast Lane! said:

 

If necessary, one can change the language string to clarify that this does not include posts. 

I have it in my terms of service that personal data should never be included in posts and that account deletions will not delete posts. So users agree to that. If personal data ends up in individual posts, I deal with that on a case-by-case basis and delete the personal data or the entire post. But it makes little sense to delete possibly thousands of posts just because there is a chance that one of these posts could contain something personal. 

[Fast Lane!]

20 minutes ago, opentype said:

If necessary, one can change the language string to clarify that this does not include posts. 

I have it in my terms of service that personal data should never be included in posts and that account deletions will not delete posts. So users agree to that. If personal data ends up in individual posts, I deal with that on a case-by-case basis and delete the personal data or the entire post. But it makes little sense to delete possibly thousands of posts just because there is a chance that one of these posts could contain something personal. 

Fwiw, simply having the option for admins to use doesn't mean we need to "always" use it (what I'm discussing is simply having the option).  It's just that -- an option to select when approving an account deletion.  As an aside may be nice to have the member enter a "reason" why they are requesting their account to be deleted.  That may guide us.

Edited July 15, 2023 by Fast Lane!

[opentype]

44 minutes ago, Fast Lane! said:

As an aside may be nice to have the member enter a "reason" why they are requesting their account to be deleted. 

I have that option for years through a third-party solution. Get ready to be insulted. 😉 People who leave a community in anger (e.g. after moderator actions) will love the opportunity vent their anger one last time, blaming and insulting you. I can’t remember a single time a text-based option to give reasons to delete an account was actually useful. If anything, I would suggest a checkbox list with admin-defined options.