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not folding up shop
Apr. 16th, 2017 10:05 amWith recent TOS-related shenanigans over on LJ, I've been debating following fandom suit and deleting my journal there too. I've decided against it.
- They have my data. They always have, since the first post. It's the nature of data replication for high-availability and backups. Since they don't publicly state their backup retention policy (other than to note that they keep your data for up to one year in the TOS), even if I delete today, it doesn't mean my content is gone. It's just not accessible to me.
- More content makes searching for something more difficult. While any type of search is probably carried out using scripts and keyword searches, the larger volume of data, the longer it takes to search. Realistically, my 589 posts are not going to slow it down that much, if at all, but it's a bit of electronic data noise and cover for journals that could be targeted.
- Fandom history. Oddly, I still get comments on older stuff posted here, even though it's all also hosted on AO3, so somebody has bookmarked links. I'm seeing more journals disappear without a forwarding address, more fic disappearing without any archiving, and the fangirl in me is a little sad at this.
- I've been very careful from the start to not post anything that could identify me personally, either in any post, or in my account settings. The TOS says I don't have to.
It goes without saying that you need to do whatever you need to do to feel safe online. I'm not saying everybody should stop deleting their journals. Not at all. These are just my reasons for leaving it where it is. I may stop cross-posting at some point, if only because my flist is a ghost town and most people who are still posting are here on DW.
- They have my data. They always have, since the first post. It's the nature of data replication for high-availability and backups. Since they don't publicly state their backup retention policy (other than to note that they keep your data for up to one year in the TOS), even if I delete today, it doesn't mean my content is gone. It's just not accessible to me.
- More content makes searching for something more difficult. While any type of search is probably carried out using scripts and keyword searches, the larger volume of data, the longer it takes to search. Realistically, my 589 posts are not going to slow it down that much, if at all, but it's a bit of electronic data noise and cover for journals that could be targeted.
- Fandom history. Oddly, I still get comments on older stuff posted here, even though it's all also hosted on AO3, so somebody has bookmarked links. I'm seeing more journals disappear without a forwarding address, more fic disappearing without any archiving, and the fangirl in me is a little sad at this.
- I've been very careful from the start to not post anything that could identify me personally, either in any post, or in my account settings. The TOS says I don't have to.
It goes without saying that you need to do whatever you need to do to feel safe online. I'm not saying everybody should stop deleting their journals. Not at all. These are just my reasons for leaving it where it is. I may stop cross-posting at some point, if only because my flist is a ghost town and most people who are still posting are here on DW.
