Privacy Vs Blockchain: I'm asking to be deleted! Let's see what happens....
A couple of years ago when I dabbled with Steemit, I made the following post that considered the question: How does a decentralised and distributed blockchain handle deletion of data, and specifically for personal data, 'the right to be forgotten'?
https://steemit.com/security/@mlcuk/privacy-vs-blockchain
Steemit themselves say "The Blockchain Remembers So Be Sure Before You Hit Post" and we all recognise that there's no Delete button beside the posts we make.
Fast-forward some time and we're now in a post-General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) era. Steemit themselves acknowledge this, with their updated Privacy Policy dated 25th May 2018: https://steemit.com/privacy.html
I myself am a European Union (EU) resident, so GDPR applies, but I recognise that other countries may not have equivalent laws and specific rights. But regardless of legislative rights, Steemit appears to support the deletion of data in their Privacy Policy to all Users regardless of geographical location and local laws. It says:
"
Accessing, Updating, Correcting, and Deleting your Information
You may access information that you have voluntarily provided through your account on the Services, and to review, correct, or delete it by sending a request to privacy@steemit.com
"
So if if really is possible to have data deleted, why not provide this functionality on the platform directly in the hands of Users? Well I guess the answer is simple - then Steemit loses one of its USP's (unique selling points). It becomes one step closer to the competition - all the other big boy Social Media platforms out there. In the Steemit White Paper it says:
"This means that there is no single entity that can censor content that is valued by STEEM holders".
Surely this is not accurate, given what is quoted from the Privacy Policy above? If I do successfully request deletion of my information from/by Steemit, then it demonstrates that a single entity - the people behind privacy@steemit.com - can sensor content. And this opens up a whole can of worms e.g. regulation of content. Something I'm sure Facebook underestimated and never wanted to step foot into e.g. having to manage fake news, illegal content, etc. Steemit goes on to say: "Freedom of speech is the foundation of all other liberties and any infringement upon freedom of speech undermines the only peaceful means of reaching consensus: discussion" and this is true....to the point that the 'content' is outright illegal.
The biggest USP for us Users of course is being rewarded for our content. I know almost nothing about blockchain technology, but in my simple techie mind when it comes to relational databases, I'm wondering what will happen when a Post is deleted when it had associated Votes, Steem, and suchlike associated with it. Will the system have 'orphaned records'? Be sure to Vote or whatever it is you do on this platform (it's been a while - I can't quite remember!), and we'll find out...
Anyway, enough waffle. On to the good stuff....
I'm next going to e-mail Steemit on privacy@steemit.com to request, in accordance with their Privacy Policy and my legal rights as an EU citizen under Artlce 17 of the EU GDPR, that all my personal data on the Steemit platform be permanently and irreversibly erased. Let's see what happens! Check back on this post or my profile. If there are issues, I'll keep you updated with new posts (note: I am expecting this to take some time). But if successful, I presume you'll get a "Post Not Found" error or similar.
See you on the other side....
