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RE: Steemit posts on the Blockchain - How to delete them?
@andrew0 It's not impossible but it is mathematically intractable given classical computing. In about 5 years we will see broad scale commercial quantum computing though and then that happens you'll probably be able to fix things like that. Basically it's a matter of brute forcing the blockchain, deleting your post and substituting a new chain sans your post and getting all the other nodes to accept that as their reality.
An easier idea might be to not say stupid things that will haunt you the rest of your life :)
I don't think we need quantum computing, just avoid the blockchain (or develop a different kind of blockchain that allows to delete unwanted data).
The problem is not only writing stupid things, it's all about respect of privacy and right to delete one's own content at will, if it's not so, I think many problem will follow.
Also read my answer to @trogdor to see how many issues will rise with this kind of data storage.
@andrew0
In all seriousness though... Social media is a horrible application for blockchain technology for precisely the reasons you state. You can't delete and while you can edit the history is forever there. Thus if you look like a douche on steemit, the entire internet will forever know that you have in fact been a douche.
I fear for my children in a world that will not let them forget the mistakes of their youth.
I fear for myself in a world that will not let me forget the mistakes of my senility.
Eitherway, it is what it is. Unless you can find a way to make the internet forget, in which case, count me in!
I agree with you :)
This thing happened already in the past when the Google Groups kept forever all the data of all users using it (but finally they gave the option to delete all posts for privacy reasons).
I don't worry so much about myself, but for all the people who will use this technology without being aware of possible consequences.
But, as you say, it is what it is, and I may add, there is no privacy where there is the internet, and there is no internet where there is privacy, and this sentence will be imprinted onto the blockchain forever, together with my bad english :-P