How to delete my account? - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: Varal
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: November 18, 2023, 01:29:15 pm
content: Hi everyone,I would like to remove my account from the forum. However I don't see an option to do so in my profile section. Could I please ask one of the admins/moderators for some assistance?Thanks in advance!

author: johnny:Dumb
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: March 30, 2024, 06:09:13 am
content: Same here, not account delete button as far as i can see... Varal, did you find a solution? I assume if you did, i will never know

author: MarkF
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 30, 2024, 06:25:47 am
content: "Once on the interwebs, it's there forever."There is no way to delete an account.If you don't want to use it, just walk away.

author: Kean
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: March 30, 2024, 10:07:19 am
content: Quote from: johnny:Dumb on March 30, 2024, 06:09:13 amThe whole point of a forum like this is sharing knowledge. You even seem to acknowledge this in your first post with:QuoteIf you feel you really must redact some information you can go back and edit or remove your post, except you cannot remove the first post of a topic.Keep in mind that substantially editing or removing old posts, and leaving the replies, it just makes the topic more confusing for future readers.And as per MarkF's comment anything you post on the internet is basically there (somewhere) forever.

author: johnny:Dumb
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: April 07, 2024, 08:53:00 am
content: Quote from: Kean on March 30, 2024, 10:07:19 amI have no intention of removing a post or unshare. I will change my E-Mail address and have not used the forums in a long time. In the borderline unthinkable event of someone replying to one of the old posts or otherwise would like to get in touch with me, that would not be possible. Not having used the forum in a very long time, i prefer not to provide my new E-mail for the simple reason of trying to reduce the spam risk and simply good internet hygiene. Let's not hope this never happens, but this forum may not be same from data breaches.In other places, a deleted account would keep any post intact but simply display something like "Deleted user", or "Anonymous". That way people are informed that the account is gone and reaching that user makes no sense. Personally, it does not bother me much that my soon old Mail and a virtually dead account linger in the dusty corners of the inter webs.Quote from: MarkF on March 30, 2024, 06:25:47 amMaybe in Australia, data laws in Europe are a bit more strict. If I wish personal information to be gone, there is not much sense in whining. That is why most "serious" websites available in Europe simply have a button to do so.All that said, i got the message, will walk away (delete the login information on my end as I am also cleaning Keepass out).

author: Twoflower
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 07, 2024, 09:50:27 am
content: I think permanently deactivate an account is an important feature. It prevents to abuse old accounts.For example you change your mail-account and, for whatever reasons, you free your mail-account too. The mail-address could get 'recycled' after some time. The time depends on the mail provider. Now if the next owner of that address receives any note that he holds the mail-address to an account here. That owner could reset the password and discredit the old owner or vandalize seemingly in the name of a legit previous member.Still a kind of 're-activation key' would be a nice additional feature. Knowing that key and owning the old address (or not?) would allow to re-activate that account.

author: MarkF
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 07, 2024, 12:50:22 pm
content: I know every year or so (not sure exactly how often), Dave does some major housekeeping.At which time he deletes accounts that have had no activity.There should be some posts where he states his attentions, give people time to savetheir account login. I can't be bothered to search for any of them.If you have problems with any particular user, you do have the ability to block them.Preventing any messages and emails. Just go into your profile settings.

author: Ian.M
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 07, 2024, 01:19:51 pm
content: If you truly want to permanently disable and walk away from your account, simply set up a temporary email address, set your profile to it, (and click any validation link sent to the temporary email). Then use a password generator to create a strong password, and change password to it, then discard the strong password and temporary email address and clear EEVblog related cookies.WARNING: There is no way back!If you wish to change the displayed user name, you need the help of a forum administrator. Reach out to the moderators for that, *BEFORE* resetting the email and password.@MarkF: I *think* Dave only deletes inactive zeroposters.

author: Marco
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 07, 2024, 01:33:42 pm
content: Quote from: Twoflower on April 07, 2024, 09:50:27 amIf gmail accounts ever get recycled half the internet will break, it's not a realistic failure mode. You can set a signature that you're gone, change the mail to a gmail dump and walk away. It would be less work if you could delete, but for security it's a wash.The finality is mostly only of psychological value.

author: Twoflower
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 07, 2024, 06:56:02 pm
content: It seems that Google don't release mail-addresses once they're taken. Which would really break not just the Android world.Others do this. Like the German provider GMX does that after 12 moths. Mailbox.org does that depending on the payment level: from just 90 days to two years. Just two examples.

author: thm_w
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 08, 2024, 09:39:10 pm
content: Its bad to use ISP email addresses in general, but, abuse of old accounts is very unlikely. Someone would have to be buying up old email addresses, just to look if they had specific accounts on specific forums. Then logging in and resetting and spamming them.100x easier to sign up a new account with a new email and spam that way.

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: April 14, 2024, 10:57:36 pm
content: Quote from: Kean on March 30, 2024, 10:07:19 amCorrect. The SMF forum software does not have the ability to just delete an account and leave replies intact.If you started a thread then that thread is there forever because I do not have the permission of all the people who replied to remove their posts as well.Every user has the ability to edit all of their old posts.I have contacted the OP directly.

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: April 14, 2024, 10:59:03 pm
content: Quote from: Ian.M on April 07, 2024, 01:19:51 pmCorrect. I never delete any account with at least 1 post just because of inactivity.