There's a pretty solid rule about bluelight you should probably know if you're worried about privacy.
Once it's posted. It's there forever. Always.
It doesn't matter if you delete it, it doesn't matter if you edit it. Once you hit post, it's gonna be somewhere for the long haul. Whether you can still see it or not.
I dunno if saying this might ruffle some feathers. I hope not. But this is a drug using community and data retention is something people have a right to know about.
This is 'mostly true' for the site these days. Lemme go back to the basics for everyone:
Per our Bluelight User Agreement (BLUA)
By using this site, and any other site owned and operated by Bluelight (
www.bluelight.org), you signify your agreement to the terms, conditions and notices of this policy.
^^Pretty common for every website
By uploading content to or submitting any materials for use on
www.bluelight.org you grant provider a perpetual, royalty-free, irrevocable, non-exclusive, worldwide right and license to use, authorize use of, reproduce, modify, adapt, publish, translate, create derivative works from and distribute such materials or incorporate such materials into any form, medium, or technology now known or later developed.
^^Also pretty common for web forums as they may have some awesome FAQ the members generate and we want to ensure it gest promoted to help others, or we can simply delete all your posts because we're on a weekend bender.
In theory, the 'if you post it, it is there forever' is conceptually possible. At a minimal level, someone can quote it, ensuring you can't remove it. Or they may screenshot it and post it anywhere, even on tinder or pornhub.
In practice, sites like ours have traditionally had limitations. From 1999 until 2018 we were running regular pruning of our database = each forum reviewing their older threads for any of merit and worth keeping towards harm reduction. And there were tons of threads we simply hard deleted (pruned) off the server. You can check the ANNOUNCEMENTS forum to see the history of doing these reviews. So, from BL's perspective, even though 'once posted, forever on the web', there was a lot that simply doesn't exist anymore, at least not on our site.
In practice, since we jumped to Xenforo an beefed up the server, we have stopped doing the prunes, so all the public posts are remaining. We do still run a sub-forum for staff where we toss minor system notifications, and admin can periodically hard delete everything in there, but member posts don't really make it in there for removal.
Which brings us back to OP. When a member, or a mod, deletes a post, it is 'soft deleted' meaning it can be undeleted in most cases, though rarely is this done. As for visibility, only the mods of a given forum can see any soft-deletes in their forum, they can't see in any other forum. Sr. Staff can see these deletions anywhere they may be. Mentioned above, generally we don't even bother peeking to see what was deleted - we respect the post owner's decision on their post. If the member deletes their post, and it is the OP and thererfore deletes ALL the relpies, then the mods may step in. If the discussion was healthy and has more to be addressed, they can undelete, then split posts out to recreate the thread without the original OP. It's wise to give a new sort of OP that explains why the replies may not flow normally, but in general this can be done when there is still value in the thread and deleting it will rob members of a chance at further discussion. We try to respect a member's desire do delete their post, but preserve the conversation for everyone else.
It's a pretty good rule of thumb to follow for the internet as a whole really.
This was in regard to thinking before you post, I believe. While your words may disappear if you (soft) delete them, they could have been quoted or screenshot, at a minimum they are likely read by some (members and lurkers) before you change your mind and delete. It is indeed a wise practice to NOT post something you're unwilling to stand behind. Posting under the influence, lol, happens here more than elsewhere most likely - so mistakes are understandable. Just realize, if you are posting under the influence, or are having mental or emotional issues at the time, your words are still YOUR words and people may hold you to them. Best not to post in anger. We're all human, prone to bad moments, but it is wise for your own reputation and well being to be aware that what you say will be in the minds of others, even if you come back and edit-delete it
![:\](https://bluelight.org/xf/BL_Images/Orig_Emoji/wrygrin.gif "wry grin :\")
If you want the posts back, I think you should ask. The worst that happens is they say no.
Amen. Without asking, you won't know. By asking, we can at least see if it wasn't pruned or can be recovered.
