This is an open "what if?" question, I am not willing to delete but wondering how does it work in practice here...

Recently I decided to stop using another board, couldn't find the button to delete my user so I asked admin how to?
He replied that in general users cannot be deleted because the board will still archive their content.
I am happy if my content stays in, so that was not a problem.
Admin also gave a quote from T&C, which mentioned that the board may but not must to comply with user's request for a termination of the account.
I thought this is a way to go and requested for the "termination".

Next what I saw when tried to login was: "You have been banned for the following reason: Wished to leave. Date the ban will be lifted: Never"

Well, technically my goal has been achieved, but being banned was not necessary my point.
Hence this thread, how does it work on OF? If one decides to leave - can his account be deleted in some civilized way, or ban is the only way?

 

Why not simply stop logging in? I don't see any benefit in formally ending your participation in an online message board––especially if your contributions remain available for others to see.

 

If your intentions are to leave, why care if you’re banned. I mean, how would you know unless you wanted to log into a forum you chose to leave anyway? Kinda pointless, huh?

 

Yes and No.
Yes - I agree that logging back is pointless, do not need to login there anymore.
No - I care because it was a watch forum. Each time when I see a banned member I assume he was a bad guy, probably a scammer, this is why I do not like how "termination" has turned out.

 

For me as a lawyer this is a very interesting question

Are you based in the EU, @vitriol? If so, you may claim your "right to be forgotten" according to the General Data Protection Regulation—even though it may be unclear whether that also applies to third countries like Australia, where OF is based. The case law on this is very nascent still, so no way to tell. Were OF based in the EU, though, it would be well within your rights to request complete removal of your profile and everything you ever produced on the forum.

 

Thanks @jaspers , I am EU citizen, board is registered in Canada, so not sure will it blend.
In fact, do you think that mine forum name qualifies as mine personal data?

 

Tried to find you on there, but the search function sucks. Have you confirmed that you are shown as "banned"?

 

Sorry, seach function might have failed as mine name there was "v1triol". And yes it says "banned".
https://www.thewatchsite.com/21-japanese-watch-discussion-forum/335111-skx00x-drilled-lugs.html

 

I wouldn't be happy with that either...

 

It does qualify when your forum name can directly or indirectly lead to you as a natural person. So if anywhere online it can be inferred that "V1triol" is you (by your name, "location data, [...] or to one or more factors specific to [your] physical, physiological, genetic, mental, economic, cultural or social identity"), your online handle would be personal data.

 

What I have done in similar circumstances (and I am hoping it never should come to pass here) is a form of self-ban, wherein I generate a random unmemorable password, and reset my forum password to it. Sometimes augmented with an email change to an invalid or temporary email account (if applicable).

It's not really "account deletion" but it's not an actual mod-enforced ban either. After I forget the "new" password it's unrecoverable.

There are good administrative and technical reasons why actual account deletion isn't favored on many sites; though GDPR makes many of those reasons moot.

 

Yeah, I can imagine this is not black or white situation from a legal point of view.
Let's leave legal aside. How technically would such request be handled on OF? "Banned" status is the only option?

 

My guess is the only one to 'stop' your account was to ban it, that way the content does not go away. The normal way is to just stop visiting/ posting.

 

I wouldn't want my profile to show up as "banned" either, and I suspect that if you had know that would be the outcome, you would have just lived with the status quo. After all, there's really not a major benefit to have the account deactivated.

Maybe you were unhappy with something that happened on the forum and were trying to make a point, i.e. "cancel my subscription", and they decided to have the last word?

 

I'm a moderator for a forum in the vBulletin community of forums and we can close a membership and simply show the member as an "ex-member." I expect that a moderator deliberately chose to use the forum ban feature or else was a nitwit who didn't know how to properly close a membership.

Chances of inducing the watch forum to reverse the more offensive "banned" are low. You might attempt to contact a vBulletin administrator by email: [email protected]

Explain your concerns and perhaps they would assist you.

 

, Thank you, Ash!

 

How amazing is this. The first two answers where : why don't just stop logging? And, why do you care about beeing baned if you are not going to use the forum any more? And I wonder, seriously? that is an answer?

What I realy like to know is the reason why you decide to leave the forum. Personally I can say that 8 out of 10 times I receive unpleasant or snob comments (although I must say too that the other two are usually very useful and appreciated answers, from people who really enjoy help) and therefore I also request, once, delete my account, only that I did not receive any answer and I prefer that to a simple ban.
Hence my curiosity of why leave the forum, in your case?