Deletion of user account - European forum - Community Building and User Generated Content forum at WebmasterWorld

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Deletion of user account - European forum

Are we forced to according to the Data Protection Directive?

bstring

12:06 pm on Apr 6, 2010 (gmt 0)

We had a problem with a member misbehaving in our forum - this ended up with a permanent ban.

He has now returned to us after a year, claiming we need to delete the personal information he has specified in his forum profile (basically just his real name). This according to the Data Protection Directive.
[en.wikipedia.org...]

Are we obliged to do this according to European laws? This member has been causing us quite some problems/damage, and we want to avoid helping him if possible.

tangor

12:16 pm on Apr 6, 2010 (gmt 0)

What did your TOS state at the time the person joined? Some things cannot be undone if they already agreed to specific terms. (And don't go changing your terms, just remarking)

That said, if permanently banned is there a reason to refuse removal? That's the flip side not revealed in the query.

bstring

12:23 pm on Apr 6, 2010 (gmt 0)

@ Tangor our TOS give us the right to keep his personal forum profile the way we want it. However I am unsure if perhaps the Data Protection Directive still forces us oblige him.

The reason we do not want to remove his name is because we want the banned member to provide more information about what he was doing behind the scenes prior to being banned - but he refuses to let us know any details. (edit we're trying to negotiate in other words)

piatkow

12:52 pm on Apr 6, 2010 (gmt 0)

It would seem to be perverse to force you to remove anything that would assist in identifying a reapplication by a banned member. However nobody here is qualified to give legal advice and you should consult a suitably qualified professional.