A computer system for facilitating explicit content deletion, the system comprising: a processor; and a storage device storing instructions that when executed by the processor cause the processor to perform a method, the method comprising: generating and transmitting by a content producing device, in response to a received interest for a content object, a content object packet that includes a name for the content object and a deletion identifier that is used to verify a subsequent deletion command from the content producing device, wherein the name is a hierarchically structured variable length identifier that includes contiguous name components ordered from a most general level to a most specific level; receiving, by the content producing device, a notification message that includes a routable prefix for a router (102, 104, 106, 108, 110, 112, 114) and indicates that the router has cached a copy of the content object packet; storing in a data structure, by the content producing device, a mapping between the routable prefix, the name, and a previously generated deletion token, wherein the deletion identifier is the result of a hash function performed on the deletion token; and in response to determining a condition to delete the cached copy of the content object packet at the router, transmitting, by the content producing device, a deletion command to the router (102, 104, 106, 108, 110, 112, 114) based on the routable prefix, wherein the deletion command includes the deletion token and the name for the cached copy of the content object packet to be deleted. a processor; and a storage device storing instructions that when executed by the processor cause the processor to perform a method, the method comprising: generating and transmitting by a content producing device, in response to a received interest for a content object, a content object packet that includes a name for the content object and a deletion identifier that is used to verify a subsequent deletion command from the content producing device, wherein the name is a hierarchically structured variable length identifier that includes contiguous name components ordered from a most general level to a most specific level; receiving, by the content producing device, a notification message that includes a routable prefix for a router (102, 104, 106, 108, 110, 112, 114) and indicates that the router has cached a copy of the content object packet; storing in a data structure, by the content producing device, a mapping between the routable prefix, the name, and a previously generated deletion token, wherein the deletion identifier is the result of a hash function performed on the deletion token; and in response to determining a condition to delete the cached copy of the content object packet at the router, transmitting, by the content producing device, a deletion command to the router (102, 104, 106, 108, 110, 112, 114) based on the routable prefix, wherein the deletion command includes the deletion token and the name for the cached copy of the content object packet to be deleted. generating and transmitting by a content producing device, in response to a received interest for a content object, a content object packet that includes a name for the content object and a deletion identifier that is used to verify a subsequent deletion command from the content producing device, wherein the name is a hierarchically structured variable length identifier that includes contiguous name components ordered from a most general level to a most specific level; receiving, by the content producing device, a notification message that includes a routable prefix for a router (102, 104, 106, 108, 110, 112, 114) and indicates that the router has cached a copy of the content object packet; storing in a data structure, by the content producing device, a mapping between the routable prefix, the name, and a previously generated deletion token, wherein the deletion identifier is the result of a hash function performed on the deletion token; and in response to determining a condition to delete the cached copy of the content object packet at the router, transmitting, by the content producing device, a deletion command to the router (102, 104, 106, 108, 110, 112, 114) based on the routable prefix, wherein the deletion command includes the deletion token and the name for the cached copy of the content object packet to be deleted.