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Ask HN: Does deleting a profile from Facebook ensures that all data is deleted?

IF I delete my profile from Facebook or Orkut does that mean the respective companies will also delete all my data from their databases? At least do they ensure that such data will not be used for any purpose?

jsean 17y ago
No and no. My guess is that it's done using a flag in their db. user_active = 0 or perhaps more efficiantly user_deactivated = [date]
- chaosprophet 17y ago
  Actually, there is a difference between deactivating and deleting your Facebook profile. However, I still don't think Facebook removes all user data once an account is deleted. Might have to dig into the TOS to find out.
  - pbhjpbhj 17y ago
    In the UK you can request the company (for a payment of costs) to provide details of all personal information they hold on you.
tokenadult 17y ago
A link for Facebook users on the subject tells how-tos, but doesn't verify what happens technologically when one asks for a full account deletion. http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=16929680703 http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=16929680703 From the ToS: http://www.facebook.com/terms.php http://www.facebook.com/terms.php "You may also delete your account or disable your application at any time." But that's in a section that only applies to advertisers.
radu_floricica 17y ago
Google for example makes it pretty clear that, given the complexity of their backups system, they'll never be able nor try to delete your data completely. I'm guessing most companies are the same, backups are essentially read-only.
- lucumo 17y ago
  Even if a backup is done in a trivial way, you really don't want to start messing in backups as part of normal operations. A simple bug can destroy the wrong data. Without a backup, that data is lost forever. And making a backup of a backup so you can mess in the primary backup completely destroys the usefulness.
  - radu_floricica 17y ago
    I don't mean they should mess with the backup. Only that talking about deleting the data is not very productive since the data won't ever be completely deleted. What can be talked about is data usage, confidentiality or specific "deleting" mechanisms.
- mkelly 17y ago
  This is a good point that I don't see repeated often enough. To expand, and rant a little (okay, really just rant...): People whine about Google or Facebook's apparent inability to permanently delete data, yet simultaneously expect their data never to be lost due to bad disks, datacenter fires, or whatnot. It's all very silly. Of course FB or Google can't delete all your data, and it's that way because that's how everyone wants it.
calyth 17y ago
You're talking to a bunch of idiots that even when you made privacy settings that you don't want other apps to know your name, it still shows through. Expect nothing from these goofs.
- slvrspoon 17y ago
  the key thing is to not give your personally identifiable info out in the first place. have 2 profiles: one for 'namespace' discovery and 'general friends' and another for real friends and posts that contains no PII links. is there an app for that?
tkahn6 17y ago
You have to either ask them for a complete account deletion (I've never heard of this working - although it may) OR you have to manually delete everything you've ever done. Obviously this takes awhile but it is doable. I cleaned out my account a few years ago this way.
ams6110 17y ago
Even if it does, whatever was public may well be cached in innumerable places all over the internet. You pretty much have to assume that whatever you post on sites like that will be "out there" forever.
- adrianwaj 17y ago
  in my experience - no, unless it was on archive.org. If you change the source page, the cached pages elsewhere will update with those changes. Thus you can make a source page blank, and the cached pages will follow. However, if you delete a source page outright, the cached pages still might remain intact as a record: thus better to blank out first for whatever the elapsed time of the cache might be until it refreshes - then delete - just so as to be safe in case the cache keeps deleted files.
bingaman 17y ago
FWIW, I have tried to completely delete my Facebook account and it did not work. They have no reason to delete your data, it's valuable information that you freely gave to them.
adrianwaj 17y ago
just remove all the data from the fields: before- interests: "sports, hacker news, etc." friends: 100 after- interests: "-" friends: 0 I did that once.. delete what you can.
known 17y ago
I think it is not possible. Assume A & B were chatting. Facebook cannot unilaterally delete A or B's data unless both A & B decide to delete their profiles.

jsean 17y ago

No and no. My guess is that it's done using a flag in their db. user_active = 0 or perhaps more efficiantly user_deactivated = [date]

chaosprophet 17y ago
Actually, there is a difference between deactivating and deleting your Facebook profile. However, I still don't think Facebook removes all user data once an account is deleted. Might have to dig into the TOS to find out.
- pbhjpbhj 17y ago
  In the UK you can request the company (for a payment of costs) to provide details of all personal information they hold on you.

tokenadult 17y ago

A link for Facebook users on the subject tells how-tos, but doesn't verify what happens technologically when one asks for a full account deletion. http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=16929680703 http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=16929680703 From the ToS: http://www.facebook.com/terms.php http://www.facebook.com/terms.php "You may also delete your account or disable your application at any time." But that's in a section that only applies to advertisers.

radu_floricica 17y ago

Google for example makes it pretty clear that, given the complexity of their backups system, they'll never be able nor try to delete your data completely. I'm guessing most companies are the same, backups are essentially read-only.

lucumo 17y ago
Even if a backup is done in a trivial way, you really don't want to start messing in backups as part of normal operations. A simple bug can destroy the wrong data. Without a backup, that data is lost forever. And making a backup of a backup so you can mess in the primary backup completely destroys the usefulness.
- radu_floricica 17y ago
  I don't mean they should mess with the backup. Only that talking about deleting the data is not very productive since the data won't ever be completely deleted. What can be talked about is data usage, confidentiality or specific "deleting" mechanisms.
mkelly 17y ago
This is a good point that I don't see repeated often enough. To expand, and rant a little (okay, really just rant...): People whine about Google or Facebook's apparent inability to permanently delete data, yet simultaneously expect their data never to be lost due to bad disks, datacenter fires, or whatnot. It's all very silly. Of course FB or Google can't delete all your data, and it's that way because that's how everyone wants it.

calyth 17y ago

You're talking to a bunch of idiots that even when you made privacy settings that you don't want other apps to know your name, it still shows through. Expect nothing from these goofs.

slvrspoon 17y ago
the key thing is to not give your personally identifiable info out in the first place. have 2 profiles: one for 'namespace' discovery and 'general friends' and another for real friends and posts that contains no PII links. is there an app for that?

tkahn6 17y ago

You have to either ask them for a complete account deletion (I've never heard of this working - although it may) OR you have to manually delete everything you've ever done. Obviously this takes awhile but it is doable. I cleaned out my account a few years ago this way.

ams6110 17y ago

Even if it does, whatever was public may well be cached in innumerable places all over the internet. You pretty much have to assume that whatever you post on sites like that will be "out there" forever.

adrianwaj 17y ago
in my experience - no, unless it was on archive.org. If you change the source page, the cached pages elsewhere will update with those changes. Thus you can make a source page blank, and the cached pages will follow. However, if you delete a source page outright, the cached pages still might remain intact as a record: thus better to blank out first for whatever the elapsed time of the cache might be until it refreshes - then delete - just so as to be safe in case the cache keeps deleted files.

bingaman 17y ago

FWIW, I have tried to completely delete my Facebook account and it did not work. They have no reason to delete your data, it's valuable information that you freely gave to them.

adrianwaj 17y ago

just remove all the data from the fields: before- interests: "sports, hacker news, etc." friends: 100 after- interests: "-" friends: 0 I did that once.. delete what you can.

known 17y ago

I think it is not possible. Assume A & B were chatting. Facebook cannot unilaterally delete A or B's data unless both A & B decide to delete their profiles.