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Comment by just_steve_h | Hacker News Reader

There's also no mention in the article about what Facebook does with all of the data you've surrendered to them while using the platform. Do they actually remove your history of likes and your node in the social graph?

I'm very doubtful they voluntarily delete your data.

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They likely never delete anything. They simply transform you back into a "shadow profile" and keep monetizing everything they know, but conceal the data from you and the rest of the public.

I believe they always retain all data forever, as a trade secret. They don't need no stinking laws to do that.

This is a component of not requiring users to pay for premium service. When you "create an account" you're simply "activating/linking/merging" one of your shadow profiles to your IRL identity (or not-so-IRL personas), which (possibly) has always existed (long before you showed up), claiming it as yours, and publicly exposing whatever Facebook is willing to show you that they know about you/that persona/whoever.

> They likely never delete anything. They simply transform you back into a "shadow profile" and keep monetizing everything they know, but conceal the data from you and the rest of the public.

If they stick to those habits with European users post May 25, GDPR will mess them up pretty bad. It would require just one whistle blower to expose their wrongdoings.

European citizens/residents, we're all counting on you to do your part.

>I believe they always retain all data forever, as a trade secret. They don't need no stinking laws to do that.

GDPR?

Odd to see people begging for what is ultimately an incremental attack on their own ability to remember things.

"your liberty stops where others' begin" they say...

Many of us have a lot of things we’d rather forget.

Is this compliant with GDPR? Could the US or other legislative bodies simply enact a law and say "do what you're doing in the EU over here"?

In addition to this, do they delete Messenger data, including group chat messages?

Facebook needs to clarify what actually happens to data.

They have the problem right now that nobody will believe what they say. I certainly won’t.

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