Users that ask to be deleted? US Law?

[CSS59]

If they ask, do we have to remove them? Is this the law?
Please discuss. I want to add to my Terms of Service that we don’t remove any accounts, but I am not sure if this is legal.

[harmor]

I highly doubt that you have to delete their account if requested to. If the user who wants their account deleted complains just tell them to take you to court.
That should make them leave you alone.

[Joe Gronlund]

I believe once anyone submits data "including user registrations" to your site, the content belongs to the site.

He can't sue you for anything, anything he says are just threats..

[ManagerJosh]

Echoing the above said, you have the right to decide to do what you want with it.

I tend to honor the request, granted that they send me a written request to do so via snail-mail

[WurkAnimal]

When I had my old forums when it was getting bigger and bigge and I used get emails asking for me to remove there accounts. What I do is I delete their email address and personal contact information (MSN AIM Yahoo! ect.) from their profile. Also I change there password and say they are welcome back at any time. Just make a new account or ask for this one back.

That's the best way

[Neal-UK]

That's what I did. I had an actor from "darn soooth" who got some information and then asked for their posts and what not to be deleted. Just removed their e-mail address and any other contact information was my response.

They know I wont delete anything else as posts can read incorrectly, and I state so in my rules when they agree to register.

[Joe Page]

It can be quite bizarre when a member suddenly asks you to delete their account, as said you can just hide it

[Floris]

If they ask, do we have to remove them? Is this the law?
Please discuss. I want to add to my Terms of Service that we don’t remove any accounts, but I am not sure if this is legal.

It is legal to update your TOS, just realize he didn't agree to those TOS, meaning he then has the option to opt-out and get his account deleted. He didn't agree to the update of it yet, the previous one he agreed to doesn't include. updating the tos is no problem, but it doesn't go back in time and make everybody auto agree to them, unless the old tos has a line saying ' we can update this at any time and you auto agree to them '.

But note your TOS isn't limited to retaining the data, or to removing it after x period of time. You can assume as a site owner and site member that added content is stored in a database. He could have asked beforehand if there was an option to delete accounts, he did not. Nor is it a default feature in the software. So it has to be done manually. The account details are his, surely you have a privacy statement. And you are not required to delete it upon request, as the data in the database is yours. You're the owner of the site, he decided to become a member.

Of course, it is always nice as admin to stipulate in a TOS that you do not remove accounts. If you haven't added that yet. I recommend to do that now. And give your existing members the option to disagree and have their account deleted. That would also satisfy this member.

Note; delete an account doesn't mean you have to delete his posts. Removing a member will move his posts to his name, with usertitle: guest.

And if you simply don't want to delete his account then wait for the court order to do so, I am pretty sure it won't go that far.

[filburt1]

My TOS (rules) has two relevant clauses for this discussion: accounts are not required to be removed upon request, and by registering, you agree to the current rules plus all future revisions.

It hasn't really posed major problems. The most I'll do is remove personal information, but users can do that themselves already.

[Freesteyelz]

you have the right to decide to do what you want with it.

This statement is not true. Unless the TOS specifies and is agreed upon by all concerning parties the site's owner cannot take content from members and do what he/she wants with it.

[TonyComix]

can't he just not come back??

[Floris]

This statement is not true. Unless the TOS specifies and is agreed upon by all concerning parties the site's owner cannot take content from members and do what he/she wants with it.

Actually he can. On my web site if I think your content can be deleted, I will do so. And I will not retain any data as a backup either. That's my choice. I can also close the site, blocking you from accessing the posts you've made.

[Freesteyelz]

You're speaking site management; not copyright matters.

You can manage your site/forum as you want; but not take content from a member and do as you please (e.g., publish it, sell it) without his/her consent. The post I quoted was to address how vague the statement was; so I corrected it.

[Cromulent]

If your ToS states that any information posted on your site is your property and the user agrees to it, then you can do as you please with it.

[Dean C]

I'd LOVE to see someone try and take legal action over something as trivial as this.