In this support article, we cover the following topics:
- What is GDPR?
- Closing your AAD account
- Download Your Content Prior to Account Deletion
- Deleting PII Data
- Community Contributions After Account Deletion
- PII Data in Posts, Replies, etc.
- SLA for Account close
- Recovering a Deleted Account
- Reusing a User Name
What is GDPR?
GDPR, the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) , took effect May 25th 2018. A European privacy law, GDPR imposes new rules on companies, government agencies, non-profits, and other organizations that offer goods and services to people in the European Union (EU), or that collect and analyze data tied to EU residents. GDPR applies no matter where you are located.
Closing your AAD account
In the community, the user can close his/her AAD account permanently. The user will be signed out as soon as the account is closed. Closure clears all Personally Identifiable Information (PII) fields in the community. An AAD account can also be closed by an organizational administrator. When this is done, a user's account in the community is closed and all personal data is permanently deleted. If you are wanting to close your community account please complete this form: aka.ms/PPcommSupport
Download Your Content Prior to Account Deletion
When GDPR is enabled, Community members can opt to download his/her community content and personal information associated with his/her account for offline storage/reference. To download your Community content and personal information:
- Sign into the community:
- Open the user menu (under user name and icon) and click "My Settings"
- Click “Privacy”
- Follow instructions under "View and Export personal data."
Deleting PII Data
Users are able to partially delete PII data. In other words, users will be able to delete one or more of the identified PII fields selectively.
Community Contributions After Account Deletion
A user's contribution (posts, comments) and engagement (kudos, accepted solutions) will be retained in the community after account deletion. They will be associated to an anonymous user. The "Anonymous User" will have a standard user name and a default avatar to distinguish it from other users.
PII Data in Posts, Replies, etc.
Users are advised not to share any personal data in posts or attachments, and the Community moderation policy is expected to enforce this. The "users delete option" will not systematically auto-clear any personal data inadvertently included in posts, attachments, messages, etc. This will fall under the purview of Community moderation.
SLA for Account close
The SLA for Account close is 30 days.
Recovering a Deleted Account
A deleted account cannot be recovered if a user changes their decision at a later time. The user will need to wait 10 days before they can sign up again with the same email address, but this process does NOT recover the users community account. It treats the user as a fresh new user and none of his/her previous contributions can be restored.
Reusing a User Name
After the required wait time, and if available, the user might be able to use the same user name in the Community. However, it will be treated as a new account with no association to the previous user.
