Oddbean new post about | logout
 On deletions...

If you can't be sure whether something is deleted from nostr or not (and you can't), then don't you have to assume it didn't get deleted?  And if so...  then there isn't much point to trying to make a more effective delete.

We implemented advisory delete AFAIK in just about every relay and client even though we knew it was a bit of a fool's errand (gossip may be one of the few black sheep that didn't actually remove those events - that could change but it would not fix this situation).

We need to be honest and accept what is true.  We cannot do any better.

Also, copy-protection is fundamentally impossible.  So is time travel.

As for Rabble's view that delete is a social signal... that is fair.  I prefer annotations for this purpose (replies marked as annotations that are rendered within the original post in supporting clients)