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Ask HN: Why can't I delete my HN account?

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Re: Ask HN: Why can't I delete my HN account?

#21

Post by andybak »

xg15 wrote: post #15
Mononokay wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You have the opportunity during the first two hours of them being submitted, unless there's a response to them, if I remember correctly. Being exposing is a bit of a benefit for HN, in that it's a very good way to serve as a snapshot of culture at any given time. People can't just whitewash their histories or wrong actions on HN.

The proponents of the EU's right to be forgotten would like to have a word about that.

HN doesn't enforce real names so it's rather different.

Re: Ask HN: Why can't I delete my HN account?

#22

Post by a3n »

xg15 wrote: post #16
app4soft wrote: post #5

> I would like to continue using the service, but I have no interest in maintaining my account. Just do "logout" > Why is account deletion not an option? Because, each submission & comments posted by you should be stored for historic reason - somebody already bookmark or quote it. Think, HN has something like "Hemingway Mode"[0], there also related XKCD[1]. [0] https://blog.ghost.org/hemingway-mode/ [1] https://xkcd.…

The can have all my posts they like - but that's no reason to also store my email address and force me to secure/manage the password of an account that I never intend to use again.

As for your password, just change it to the result of fingerpainting on your keyboard.

Re: Ask HN: Why can't I delete my HN account?

#23

Post by ikeboy »

On a related note, I'm annoyed at sites that typically let you delete your own content, but it's possible for you to get blocked from seeing it and then you can't remove it any more.

For example, if you post or comment in a Facebook group and then leave it, you can't remove those comments. Same if you comment on someone's post and they then block you.

On Reddit if you post in a private sub or a gold-only sub and later don't have access you can't delete or access it. I think you should at the very least be able to see your own content at any point, and if deleting is typically allowed you should be able to delete your own content.

Re: Ask HN: Why can't I delete my HN account?

#24

Post by nthnclrk »

hoodoof wrote: post #12
JPLeRouzic wrote: post #3

There is an unofficial FAQ by Jacques Mattheij, with an answer to this very question: https://jacquesmattheij.com/the-unofficial-hn-faq#deleteacco... There is also indeed the official FAQ: https://news.ycombinator.com/newsfaq.html

Yes but times have changed and I think, depending on where you live in the world perhaps, that there is a growing expectation that you should be allowed to delete your digital tracks. There's a certain level of hubris to an attitude in which a given site that feels it's needs are more important than users. Saying you can't delete all your posts/account is the same as saying "you do not have the right to control your…

What are your thoughts on individuals being able to delete their account, with comments remaining attributed to a "[deleted]" username?

Re: Ask HN: Why can't I delete my HN account?

#25

Post by ocdtrekkie »

andybak wrote: post #21
xg15 wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The proponents of the EU's right to be forgotten would like to have a word about that.

HN doesn't enforce real names so it's rather different.

From a legal standpoint, I don't think it makes a lot of difference. Especially since unless you are specifically trying to make a throwaway, figuring out who you are is trivial, especially if you use a chunk of your RL name in your username. Or in my case, if your username is commonly identifiable as you and tied to your RL name on other sites.

I don't think anything about Right To Be Forgotten leaves it to the individual's responsibility to mask their identity.

Re: Ask HN: Why can't I delete my HN account?

#26

Post by hoodoof »

nthnclrk wrote: post #24
hoodoof wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes but times have changed and I think, depending on where you live in the world perhaps, that there is a growing expectation that you should be allowed to delete your digital tracks. There's a certain level of hubris to an attitude in which a given site that feels it's needs are more important than users. Saying you can't delete all your posts/account is the same as saying "you do not have the right to control your…

What are your thoughts on individuals being able to delete their account, with comments remaining attributed to a "[deleted]" username?

That doesn't give the users the ability to delete their comments, which under some circumstances they want to.

Removing attribution to a username is not the same as deleting what was said.

Re: Ask HN: Why can't I delete my HN account?

#27

Post by DoreenMichele »

hoodoof wrote: post #12
JPLeRouzic wrote: post #3

There is an unofficial FAQ by Jacques Mattheij, with an answer to this very question: https://jacquesmattheij.com/the-unofficial-hn-faq#deleteacco... There is also indeed the official FAQ: https://news.ycombinator.com/newsfaq.html

Yes but times have changed and I think, depending on where you live in the world perhaps, that there is a growing expectation that you should be allowed to delete your digital tracks. There's a certain level of hubris to an attitude in which a given site that feels it's needs are more important than users. Saying you can't delete all your posts/account is the same as saying "you do not have the right to control your…

There's a certain level of hubris to an attitude in which a given site that feels it's needs are more important than users.

There's even more hubris in expecting individual rights to outweigh the value of a community in every instance.

Re: Ask HN: Why can't I delete my HN account?

#28

Post by ebbv »

ikeboy wrote: post #23

On a related note, I'm annoyed at sites that typically let you delete your own content, but it's possible for you to get blocked from seeing it and then you can't remove it any more. For example, if you post or comment in a Facebook group and then leave it, you can't remove those comments. Same if you comment on someone's post and they then block you. On Reddit if you post in a private sub or a gold-only sub and late…

Similarly if you delete your reddit account but don’t spend the time to delete all your posts and comments before you do, they won’t go away.

Re: Ask HN: Why can't I delete my HN account?

#29

Post by Mononokay »

ocdtrekkie wrote: post #25
andybak wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

HN doesn't enforce real names so it's rather different.

From a legal standpoint, I don't think it makes a lot of difference. Especially since unless you are specifically trying to make a throwaway, figuring out who you are is trivial, especially if you use a chunk of your RL name in your username. Or in my case, if your username is commonly identifiable as you and tied to your RL name on other sites. I don't think anything about Right To Be Forgotten leaves it to the indi…

From a legal standpoint, HN doesn't sell products, use user data for profit, or operate in the EU. Both it and YC have made it rather clear they don't want to touch the EU.

Complying with GDPR would basically be an act of goodwill more than anything, and even that's debatable.

Re: Ask HN: Why can't I delete my HN account?

#30

Post by kgwxd »

tjr wrote: post #2

Might be a good question for hn@ycombinator.com

4/20/2016

Me: I'd like to either change the username ([redacted]) on my account or delete my account completely. Can help me do that?

HN: Account renaming is something we plan to implement but haven't yet. You're welcome to email back in the future and check if it's done yet.

HN doesn't delete accounts. We do sometimes delete specific comments when users are worried about getting in trouble from them. Would that help?

I realize this isn't a very satisfying answer and am sorry.

Me: I didn't say anything nasty so I'm not too worried about it :) I'll just wait for the feature. Thanks.

7/26/2016

Me: Just want to check in and see if account deleting or username changing has been implemented.

HN: Not yet, sorry. There are some technical difficulties because YC uses HN IDs in its internal systems, which are separate, so we need to be extra careful not to make a breaking change. But we'll get there.

2/19/2017

Me: I need my account deleted immediately. It's a matter of national security, cannot explain in detail, orders from the President of the United States.

HN: That does sound urgent, so I'm sorry to have to reply this way, but we don't actually have the ability to do this. At some point we will have the ability to rename accounts to something anonymous, but unfortunately we don't have that yet either.

Me: Damn, now he's gonna make me go work on that wall :/

2/22/2018

Me: Are you able to change user names or delete accounts yet?

HN: Not yet, sorry, but it is coming. Do you want to be on an email list to get notified when it's ready?

Me: Yes, that would be cool, please add me.

HN: Ok, you're added.

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