Deleting User Profiles in Drupal upon Request
Context
Historically, when WebTech received a request to remove a faculty or staff profile, the practice was to change the user’s status from active to blocked. This action prevented login access and removed the profile from department directories, while keeping the content intact for potential future reactivation. This approach aligned with common patterns at WWU, where faculty and staff frequently transfer between departments.
Recently, however, two issues have emerged:
- Governance: The Silktide platform flags blocked profiles as “thin content,” among other issues, creating accessibility and quality issues.
- User Requests: Some faculty and staff have explicitly requested permanent removal of their profiles to prevent them from appearing in search results.
These factors necessitated a change in practice.
Decision
WebTech will now delete faculty and staff profiles upon request in Drupal. When a profile is deleted, its content ownership is reassigned to the Anonymous user, effectively removing all profile data from the system.
Status
Consequences
- Irreversible Action: Once a profile is deleted, it cannot be reinstated.
- Re-creation Required: If a faculty or staff member returns to WWU, a new profile must be created.
- Improved Governance Compliance: This change resolves thin-content errors, among others, flagged by Silktide and better honors individual privacy requests.