Delete Comments (Revised)

Hey everyone,

You probably noticed a lot of services rethinking how they collect and store user data with the upcoming privacy regulations in the EU. We're going to be making a few changes to SG during the next month as well, and today I'm focusing on how comments are deleted. Previously, when you clicked the button to delete a comment, it was flagged as deleted in our database, and that allowed you to undelete your comment at any point in the future.

Starting today, it works a little differently. When you click the button to delete a comment, you only have a 5 minute period to undelete the comment in case you clicked the button by accident or changed your mind. After then, the comment author and description will be cleared, and the undelete button will no longer be available. If the comment is removed by a moderator, that moderator will also have 5 minutes to undelete the comment before it is cleared. If there are no replies to the cleared comment, then it will be completely removed from our database, and it will no longer be visible in the corresponding discussion or giveaway. If the comment has replies, then the cleared comment will remain visible for as long as those replies exist.

Another small change is that only the person that deleted the comment will now be able to undelete it. In the past, moderators could undelete a user comment if it needed to be reviewed. Now, that is no longer possible to ensure the comment is always deleted as intended by the user.

Edit: I should also mention that all previously deleted comments have been permanently removed, and that is why you'll notice the undelete option is not available for those.

Edit 2: There has been a revision today. Although comments are still permanently deleted after 5 minutes, the empty comments will always remain visible on the site for reference and permalinks.