If at some point you want to delete your account and have your posts and comments be gone, you better delete it all manually before you actually delete the account, because that deletion process does not really work as advertised.
For my main account on world (which runs an outdated lemmy version), it seemed like at least the account deletion was federated so that my user page was no longer browsable from other instances, but none of my posts, comments or images had been deleted, not even on the home instance.
The homie @MrKaplan@lemmy.world helped me by manually deleting my stuff, but it seems like that has only worked for the home instance, posts and comments seem to still be readable from other instances (except for some of the images that MrKaplan manually deleted too, but that was only possible up to a date not too far in the past because lemmy used to not associate user uploads with the accounts). So my old posts from the world account can be viewed just fine from other instances:
For other instances that are more up to date the process is even worse imo, while locally things seem to get deleted, federation does not seem to happen at all. For example you can still browse my deleted slrpnk or lemmee accounts from other instances just fine:
https://slrpnk.net/u/achtungdrempels@lemm.ee
https://lemm.ee/u/AchtungDrempels@slrpnk.net
Account deletion in piefed works kinda like the old lemmy system (as on lemmy.world), and nothing gets deleted except the user page (which also seems to get federated), the posts and comments stay up.
Thought this would be interesting to some, if i had known what a mess this would be (obviously expected some federation issues, just not like that), i would have manually deleted everything. I deleted all these accounts in December, maybe this has been addressed somehow in the meantime, personally i’d have trust issues in this process.
The problem isn’t in the system, but in your expectations.
You’re starting with a wrong assumption that things publicly available on the internet can simply be deleted. That’s not how any of this works.
Maybe that’s our fault. Maybe we weren’t clear enough back when you started using the internets. But It’s true, deleting things online is very difficult. You shouldn’t ever expect it to be simple or easy.
Don’t you think that’s shifting the goalpost a bit? OP isn’t talking about something being archived they’re talking about a piece of content on social media still directly linking to that username.
Deleting things in as many places as possible making it harder to access is still a net positive.
It’s about as much of a part or mechanic of Lemmy as posting is.
What goal post? There is no actual, technical, difference, between archive and active. As soon as a post is made, it’s old, and part of the accessible archive of past posts and accounts.
A basic reality from the beginning of the internet, is that you once you make something publicly available, it’s out there. You can’t really ever take it back. It’s just a fundamental principal of how the internet works. A lot of people seem to forget that.
But deleting stuff is an easy way to limit the amount of potential viewers.
Most people aren’t going to put in the effort. If OP’s account deletion spreads across most of Lemmy, even just the larger instances, most people aren’t going to see their older posts.
That seems to be what OP is after. More in line with hiding poorly written Doctor Who fan fiction than hiding from the government in the woods.
You’re still missing the fundamental reality of the situation.
Stuff online generally doesn’t get deleted. And almost never because you want it to. I think the EU passed a law about the “right to be forgotten”. But the reality is, that’s like fighting gravity. The effort and resources it takes to truly break orbit are far beyond most people’s, and even most government’s means. Same with truly deleting anything online.
But that’s not what is being talked about. I don’t think OP is expecting an all or nothing situation. You’re talking like you’ve never deleted anything online
Yes.
Op isn’t expecting an all or nothing. I’m suggesting they should expect nothing. All isn’t even worth talking about.
And yes.
I’ve never deleted anything online. Never had a reason to. If I ever imagined a reason I’d want to delete something, I wouldn’t post it to begin with. Because I know I can’t delete it. See how that works. So what if I was wrong, or embarrassing, that’s part of being human, own you’re mistakes and move on. Don’t hide them. They are who you were. They are how you got where you are. They’re responsible for who you’ve become. Take pride in the failings of your past.
Hello Mr. Internet,
do you think that the expected behaviour of the lemmy software would be that account deletions do not get federated whatsoever?
Please, call me Steve.
Reality holds no responsibility to conform to anyone’s expectations. However, my decades in the reality of the internet have shaped my expectations. I never expect anything on the internet to be truly deleted. Accounts are locked, but they and everything associated with them still exists. If you contact support, and sufficiently prove you’re you, they can reinstate your account. In the rare cases they can’t, they make it abundantly clear, and explain why they can’t, in the deletion process.
Unless Lemmy specifically states all changes are guaranteed to be federated, I’d assume by default none will. I’ll reiterate, reality has no responsibility to conform to my expectations. Deletions may in fact be federated sometimes.
But that’s immaterial, since I don’t post anything with the expectation I’ll ever be able to delete it. An expectation built upon reality, not the reverse. An expectation I’m trying to impress on you.
Shut up, Steve. ;)
I think Lemmy should display a simple warning on sign-up that everything you post on the fediverse can’t be reasonably ever deleted, because it’s going to be shared to possibly infinite different parties.
The current delete function states:
“Warning: this will permanently delete your account. The deletion may not always federate to other instances.”
The first part, I’m almost certain isn’t actually true.
The second part basically confirms what you’re asking for.
Yah. That could be stated explicitly on signup.
But to sum up what I said in other comments here; Not being able to delete things, is like the Internet’s version of gravity. Be glad it works, and don’t waste effort fighting it.