Warning: Lemmy doesn't care about your privacy, everything is tracked and stored forever, even if you delete it
raddle.me

Federated services have always had privacy issues but I expected Lemmy would have the fewest, but it’s visibly worse for privacy than even Reddit.

  • Deleted comments remain on the server but hidden to non-admins, the username remains visible
  • Deleted account usernames remain visible too
  • Anything remains visible on federated servers!
  • When you delete your account, media does not get deleted on any server
  • dfyxA
    1·
    1 year ago

    Never assume you’re anonymous on the internet. No matter how careful you are, there are dozens of ways something could still be traced back to you:

    • You might slip up and accidentally post enough personal info for someone close to you to recognize you.
    • A platform provider might not take their privacy rules seriously.
    • A third party (such as an advertiser) might connect your “anonymous” account to a clear-name account on another platform through browser fingerprinting.
    • You might forget to log out of a computer that someone else has access to.
    • Someone with way too much time might just be able to connect the dots.
    • And many more. That’s just what I came up with in a few minutes.

    Posting “anonymously” just reduces the chance that someone puts in enough effort to identify you but it never makes it zero. If that’s a risk you’re willing to take, that’s absolutely fine. But that should still be a conscious decision and if you want to be careful, always assume that anything can be tied to your name and face.