Removing thread with sensible info?

[GuiltyBystander]

A while ago I created a chances-thread, and I realised just now that it is fairly easy to find out who I am in real life based on the info in that thread.. No one really responded to the thread (like, maybe 2, it won't create 'gaps' in the CC-archive), is there a way to have this posts deleted?

Thanks!

[molliebatmit]

Unfortunately, the moderators do not delete posts or threads in which posters have revealed information which they later regret revealing. We are a volunteer moderating team, and we get a large number of these requests every day. We simply cannot honor all of them, so we have chosen the most fair route and do not honor any.

[GuiltyBystander]

Oke! Thanks anyway!

[cherielia]

That sucks so much. I don't think a lot of people realize this when they sign up, and when they post things. We're high school students. We make mistakes. We should be able to try and fix them. I really don't like this rule. I would have never signed up for this site if I knew I would be tied to it for life.

[molliebatmit]

From the Terms of Service, which should be read before registration:

Can My Posts Be Deleted?
Posts are editable for a brief period following posting to allow correction of spelling errors, formatting, etc. After that, members may not edit their own posts. This prevents one member from editing an earlier post in a thread, rendering comments by others irrelevant or seemingly inaccurate. Similarly, we cannot delete posts upon request. Doing so would destroy the integrity of our archive and consume a huge amount of manpower. Therefore, please do not post personal data or other information that could prove to be a problem later.

Furthermore, even if we do delete posts, they remain searchable by Google for quite some time. The best choice is not to post personally identifiable information.

[cherielia]

That's in the FAQ. It doesn't look like it's in the Terms of Service.

I'm glad to know that the 'integrity' of online discussions is more important than our privacy.

[Lenitus]

We do offer to help you edit posts even after the 'edit window' has passed. I've gotten a decent amount of requests from people who ask for specific items to be removed, as they are concerned that info could help identify them once they reach campus (or haunt them for years to come).

[Star*]

Your privacy is plenty important, that's why you should use common sense when posting. High school students should realize that posting detailed information about themselves to a public forum can be dangerous. Its not fair to expect the moderators to edit hundreds of posts just because people don't think before they post.

[flyingllama]

honestly, most people don't read through the entire terms of service. it's a mistake to post information that could identify oneself, but teens shouldn't have to deal with haunting privacy issues for years to come because of that.

why not let members delete old threads they had created?

i can understand that deleting posts is an issue, because it might render some subsequent posts as useless and confusing. and i can understand that by deleting one's thread, all of the posts contained would be deleted as well... but would that really be a huge issue? i mean, i doubt people would complain if their post-count is suddenly reduced by 2 or 3.

if there was anything more generous that CC could add, it would be the ability to delete old threads. no one is going to delete useful threads that hurt nobody. the only threads that would be affected would be the ones with possible sensitive info. even if the archives lose a thread, it probably wasn't crucial, and in general it would be worth it, IMO, for the sake of the members

collegeconfidential

[Lenitus]

Surely you realize that collegeconfidential is a public forum, despite the name. As I mentioned previously, we do offer members the chance to edit posts past the edit window if they are concerned about specific info. This comes in addition to offering completely free information on our forums. So, I'd say we're pretty generous

[flyingllama]

haha well, I still think that giving users the ability to delete old threads would be great. the benefits would outweigh the negatives on a grander scheme.