Guidelines / Requests for Data Deletion

Reassign these requests to management

• As this is a complicated matter, we will take individual decisions for every request.
• We also want to be coherent on the matter and avoid conflicting positions/statements/actions from different editors.
• Avoid acting under pressure, because you will get pressured. Some requests are very emotional!

Line of thought

What follows is purely to give you an insight in our line of thought. Please don't start discussing and argumenting with the user requesting the deletion.

• Our purpose is to create the most complete and accurate cover songs database, so deleting data conflicts with this. Most likely the request will be declined.
• Anything that has been published in the public musical sphere is conisdered "fair game".
  • This is certainly where it can go wrong: Musicians sometimes publish much more than they realize, and then blame SHS for reflecting this.
• Under the GDPR, we are generally within our rights to reject deletion requests, because we have "reasons of public interest to store the personal data, such as [...] historical research purposes".
• However, in cases of really obscure artists, we might accept the request for privacy reasons, for "the right to be forgotten".
  • Of course this only makes sense if they stop(ped) publishing this data themselves as well.

    Examples: Artists using their real name as artist name, picture, date of birth

Prevention

When adding bio details to artists, take the [Privacy of Artists](Requests for Data Deletion guideline into account.

History

1. Request for deletion July 21st 2022 : Accepted.