Ask HN: Can StackOverflow keep my questions?
I want to delete all of the content I've created on StackOverflow. They only offer to close my account but still want to keep the content under anonymous name.
Is this legal?
https://stackoverflow.com/help/licensing
> As noted in the Stack Exchange Terms of Service and in the footer of every page, all publicly accessible user contributions are licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike license as follows:
https://stackoverflow.com/legal/terms-of-service
> You agree that any and all content, including without limitation any and all text, graphics, logos, tools, photographs, images, illustrations, software or source code, audio and video, animations, and product feedback (collectively, “Content”) that you provide to the public Network (collectively, “Subscriber Content”), is perpetually and irrevocably licensed to Stack Overflow on a worldwide, royalty-free, non-exclusive basis pursuant to Creative Commons licensing terms (CC BY-SA 4.0), and you grant Stack Overflow the perpetual and irrevocable right and license to access, use, process, copy, distribute, export, display and to commercially exploit such Subscriber Content, even if such Subscriber Content has been contributed and subsequently removed by you as reasonably necessary to, for example (without limitation)...
> This means that you cannot revoke permission for Stack Overflow to publish, distribute, store and use such content and to allow others to have derivative rights to publish, distribute, store and use such content. The CC BY-SA 4.0 license terms are explained in further detail by Creative Commons, and the license terms applicable to content are explained in further detail here. You should be aware that all Public Content you contribute is available for public copy and redistribution, and all such Public Content must have appropriate attribution.
It's like trying to un-GPL already GPLed code.
Same reason my favorite author can't go "I've decided I hate my books, so give them all back" and force me to remove them from my bookshelf. They're not hers anymore.