XF 2.3 Deleting a members 48,000 posts - how?

Jon12345

Jon12345

Well-known member
A member has become disgruntled and so wants all their posts deleted. How do I delete this large number of posts?

Regards,

Jon
 
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You should be able to use the spam cleaner to do it.

Personally I'd shy away from doing something so radical. 48,000 is an insane number of posts which will inevitably disrupt the flow of content if deleted.

A better option in my view would be to ask the member to identify any PII they have posted, remove it and then anonymize the account.
 
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zappaDPJ said:
Personally I'd shy away from doing something so radical. 48,000 is an insane number of posts which will inevitably disrupt the flow of content if deleted.
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I allowed this many years ago and I can confirm it had very bad consequences on many threads. There is no need to unless you changed the default terms giving members the right to have all their content removed.

Often people they have this right under GDPR or other regulations, they don’t.
 
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I've tried the spam cleaner but get an error. It removed all the threads started just fine, but when trying to remove posts it fails.

I already agreed with them that I would delete all their posts.
 
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it might be easier to run a manual query to make it hidden instead. spam cleaner is not designed for scale like that.

make a back up first, test on a dev site:
Code: 
update `xf_post`
set message_state = 'moderated' where user_id = 12345
you can also use deleted instead of moderated if that's your desire. this would make it soft-deleted. mods can still the content, she can't.

may need to rebuild caches after.
 
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Thanks @AndyB, I was looking at that plugin. I'm running the site on a shoestring which was why I was looking at a no cost solution, but you do have an excellent site that I signed up to once before.
 
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Requests to remove content cannot be facilitated due to the fact it may disrupt the natural flow of conversations and/or topics. Furthermore, requests to remove a profile/account can also not be facilitated for the aforementioned reason. We can however close your account upon request. Once closed your account will be marked as " Account Closed " and you will not be able to access the Direct Message system nor will the members be able to contact you. You will still have access to view but you will no longer have the ability to respond to topics or engage members in any way. You can request reactivation of your account anytime by emailing: admin

If you do not agree with these terms, please do not register or use the Service. Use of the Service constitutes acceptance of these terms. If you wish to close your account, please contact us, but keep in mind closing your account only restricts you from posting it does not change the content of your posts, you can decide to reactivate your account at any time.

These terms may be changed at any time and without notice.
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I simply put the above in my terms, problem solved.
 
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I'd argue some of the replies in this thread are a little misleading.

Jon12345 said:
She will start reporting me to Ofcom etc. if I don't delete the posts.
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Ofcom's primary function is to enforce the Online Safety Act so unless your site is in breach of that Act Ofcom would not act on any report.

The UK laws that are relevant to the situation described are GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018 which are regulated by the Information Commissioner's Office.

MapleOne said:
I simply put the above in my terms, problem solved.
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Those terms would not satisfy a request to remove a member's PII under GDPR. I would also add a copyright disclaimer containing a statement of ownership.
 
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Mr Lucky said:
She may well report you to Ofcome whether you delete the posts or not. Have you done anything wrong/illegal that might warrant that?
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She is more likely to do it if I don't delete her posts. There may be things that I have done wrong or are not aware of. Or she could report a post, say she is not happy with the response and then report me to Ofcom. There are 1.7 million posts on my forum. I'm sure she has endless fodder.
 
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Jon12345 said:
She is more likely to do it if I don't delete her posts. There may be things that I have done wrong or are not aware of. Or she could report a post, say she is not happy with the response and then report me to Ofcom. There are 1.7 million posts on my forum. I'm sure she has endless fodder.
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That's not the way it works. Tell her to report any post that has personal info within as per GDPR. Tell her the other posts of hers are staying; but her name will be removed from them.

Or you could just run scared, swallow, ruin much of your forum and concede to someone's irrational demands that have no right in law.
 
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JamesBrown said:
Or you could just run scared, swallow, ruin much of your forum and concede to someone's irrational demands that have no right in law.
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Or the OP could engage her, listen to her concerns, and take care of those. It's usually a couple of threads that are the irritants.

Having that many posts obvious means she cared about the conversations. I had a similar situation on a larger forum I used to run and the person said they did not like the direction the board was going in. I asked the person how they think I should handle it and I made them a mod to get actively involved in guiding members. It turned out quite well the the poster became an excellent mod.

I find sincerely engaging (and listening) people often leads to a better result than any heavy handed moderation.

You can see seasoned posters quitting on all forums when they feel they are not heard. I take the time to engage them and ask them what they think I could do better. Proper dialog can often be the solution before one gets into a situation like this in the first place.
 
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She was a super moderator and has the highest post count on my forum. But over the last couple of years has become super toxic. I was getting numerous complaints from members. So, I said that all the members are moderated, but no one is moderating the moderators! And therefore I want a specific moderator just for that. All the other mods are fine. She didn't like that, went on about free speech etc. But with the recent OSA I am taking much greater precaution. I closed and hidden the Politics section of the forum. I increased moderation of the Watercooler section. She was a fervent poster in both these sections.
 
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Think about it... I if you anonymize all her posts and they don't contain personal data, how can she prove to Ofcom that those posts are hers?

She can't...

Personally, I wouldn't delete anything unless it contains personal data.
 
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