Member Avatar for the_programmer

I'm trying to find out what the legal laws for the internet are on storing text via e-mail/chat. I am not sure if there is such a law but than again it's better to ask than to find out the hard way. Does DaniWeb keep history of Private messages for a certain amount of time? Is there a government or some official webpage that lists the laws on what data you are legally suppose to keep or aren't suppose to keep as a website owner that allows users to have their own accounts?

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Short summary for : there is no single "internet law" that mandates how long a forum or chat system must keep private-message history. Retention duties depend on where the service and its users are located, the type of data, and any sector-specific rules. Authoritative starting points:

  • EU: the GDPR (storage limitation, data‑subject rights) — see the regulation text (EUR-Lex) and a plain-language overview of the right to erasure (gdpr.eu).
  • UK: ICO guidance on retention and the storage principle ().
  • US: rules on government access and stored communications (ECPA / Stored Communications Act — DOJ overview and statutory text at and Cornell LII).
  • Industry rules often add retention obligations (example: broker-dealer recordkeeping at ; health records under HIPAA).

Practical checklist site operators can follow (document and publish these choices): define the business/legal purpose for each data type; set a written retention schedule; implement deletion/archival procedures, backup rotation and legal‑hold processes; pseudonymize/anonymize where possible; log and limit admin access; and support data‑subject requests within applicable deadlines. Retention choices and legal bases belong in the privacy policy and records of processing.

On the existing thread: ’s note about keeping copies mirrors a common technical approach — when archives exist, they should be covered by the retention schedule, access controls, audit logs and documented legal justification. ’s point to check local law is essential: many obligations are national or sectoral.

This is general guidance and not legal advice; for a binding interpretation of obligations in a specific country or sector, consult a qualified attorney and the linked official sources.

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Member Avatar for darkagn

Not sure what DaniWeb's policy is, but for other forum-type sites that I have contributed to we kept all PM's, emails, forum posts in database tables. If the owner of the message deleted it (by pressing a button for example) then we archived the message to another database table that was not accessible to the general public. This way we had a record of abusive posts, bullying etc even if the sender tried to delete it.

From a legal standpoint there are only certain things that are illegal to store. Off the top of my head I know that signatures (that is hand-written credit card authorisations) have legal implications for example. But things like emails, forum posts, blogs etc should be ok to store indefinately.

Member Avatar for the_programmer

Not sure what DaniWeb's policy is, but for other forum-type sites that I have contributed to we kept all PM's, emails, forum posts in database tables. If the owner of the message deleted it (by pressing a button for example) then we archived the message to another database table that was not accessible to the general public. This way we had a record of abusive posts, bullying etc even if the sender tried to delete it.

From a legal standpoint there are only certain things that are illegal to store. Off the top of my head I know that signatures (that is hand-written credit card authorisations) have legal implications for example. But things like emails, forum posts, blogs etc should be ok to store indefinately.

thanks for the feedback. I would like a link to any official documentation on what is suppose to be kept and what isn't. Thank you.

Member Avatar for peter_budo

thanks for the feedback. I would like a link to any official documentation on what is suppose to be kept and what isn't. Thank you.

That bit you can do on your own by searching law in regards of IT and data protection of your country that varies between countries

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