Automatically delete completely unused accounts • page 1/1 • Lichess Feedback • lichess.org

Automatically delete accounts that meet all of these requirements:

No finished games longer than 4 moves (including imported games)
No comments or forum posts
No blog posts
No studies
No bookmarked games longer than 10 moves
Not following any users
No puzzle-related activity of any form (including solving puzzles)
Are more than 183 days (6 months) old
Have no information on their profile page (e.g. external links)

Simplified: Automatically delete accounts that are more than 6 months old and have not done anything. Their only activity (besides anything not requiring an account or short games) will just be signing up to Lichess.

Some people will register an account but never use it. This takes up storage space that could be used for actual users.

When an account is deleted in this manner, the username can then be taken by someone else, preventing exotic and special usernames from being taken by people who never play games on the site.

Problems with username recycling upon account closure:

Deleting inactive accounts would make games and other content harder to find, and would be unfortunate should the user decide to return to Lichess.
- However, users without any activity have nothing to lose other than their username.
If an account is already closed, someone may impersonate the deleted user with their username or otherwise cause community confusion.
- However, if an account hasn't interacted with the community at all, then impersonation wouldn't be an issue since they have done nothing on the site to be a target for impersonation.
Most importantly, there are reasons Lichess may need to retain the closed account's data.
- The only offense I can think of that an account with my requirements can do is have an inappropriate username or username + flair combination, in which case they should be dealt with anyway.

Assistance from https://scratch.mit.edu/discuss/topic/343602/ (Scratch).

Automatically delete accounts that meet all of these requirements: - No finished games longer than 4 moves (including imported games) - No comments or forum posts - No blog posts - No studies - No bookmarked games longer than 10 moves - Not following any users - No puzzle-related activity of any form (including solving puzzles) - Are more than 183 days (6 months) old - Have no information on their profile page (e.g. external links) Simplified: Automatically delete accounts that are more than 6 months old and have not done anything. Their only activity (besides anything not requiring an account or short games) will just be signing up to Lichess. Some people will register an account but never use it. This takes up storage space that could be used for actual users. When an account is deleted in this manner, the username can then be taken by someone else, preventing exotic and special usernames from being taken by people who never play games on the site. Problems with username recycling upon account closure: - Deleting inactive accounts would make games and other content harder to find, and would be unfortunate should the user decide to return to Lichess. - However, users without any activity have nothing to lose other than their username. - If an account is already closed, someone may impersonate the deleted user with their username or otherwise cause community confusion. - However, if an account hasn't interacted with the community at all, then impersonation wouldn't be an issue since they have done nothing on the site to be a target for impersonation. - Most importantly, there are reasons Lichess may need to retain the closed account's data. - The only offense I can think of that an account with my requirements can do is have an inappropriate username or username + flair combination, in which case they should be dealt with anyway. Assistance from https://scratch.mit.edu/discuss/topic/343602/ (Scratch).

Toadofsky

Premature optimization is the root of all evil.

LordSupremeChess

@saideepak said in #1:

Some people will register an account but never use it. This takes up storage space that could be used for actual users.

When an account is deleted in this manner, the username can then be taken by someone else, preventing exotic and special usernames from being taken by people who never play games on the site.

The problem is, though, that even if the account is deleted, it won't free up the username for others to use. And unless the Lichess devs can find the time to rewrite their entire account deletion system and program in all those rules you posted above - which, by the way, could take months to do - then it wouldn't get added.

Not trying to say that it's a bad idea, but most likely not gonna happen anytime soon.

@saideepak said in #1: > Some people will register an account but never use it. This takes up storage space that could be used for actual users. > > When an account is deleted in this manner, the username can then be taken by someone else, preventing exotic and special usernames from being taken by people who never play games on the site. The problem is, though, that even if the account is deleted, it won't free up the username for others to use. And unless the Lichess devs can find the time to rewrite their entire account deletion system and program in all those rules you posted above - which, by the way, could take months to do - then it wouldn't get added. Not trying to say that it's a bad idea, but most likely not gonna happen anytime soon.

for_cryingout_loud

+Toadofsky said in #2:

Premature optimization is the root of all evil.
no the root of all evil is√666 aka 25.8069

+Toadofsky said in #2: > Premature optimization is the root of all evil. no the root of all evil is√666 aka 25.8069

nadjarostowa

edited

@saideepak said in #1:

When an account is deleted in this manner, the username can then be taken by someone else, preventing exotic and special usernames from being taken by people who never play games on the site.

No. This would only work if that account basically never did anything at all.

Why are you posting this? Obviously not written by yourself to solve a problem of yours...

@saideepak said in #1: > When an account is deleted in this manner, the username can then be taken by someone else, preventing exotic and special usernames from being taken by people who never play games on the site. No. This would only work if that account basically never did anything at all. Why are you posting this? Obviously not written by yourself to solve a problem of yours...

scarpentus

Perhaps their problem is that they want one of those amazing already taken usernames. Think about how much better life would be if our usernames were more exotic and special...

GM ILikeBlitz

edited

@scarpentus said in #6:

Perhaps their problem is that they want one of those amazing already taken usernames. Think about how much better life would be if our usernames were more exotic and special...
...or completely ordinary and very general.

@scarpentus said in #6: > Perhaps their problem is that they want one of those amazing already taken usernames. Think about how much better life would be if our usernames were more exotic and special... ...or completely ordinary and very general.