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darkmage Oct 12, 2022 @ 4:05am
Deleted account's remnants
I deleted an account and when i tried to create a new one(just in the first steps of that), steam showed me that i cannot use my same username beacause it is used. Firstly which account is using my (deleted) username and secondly are there any remains of that account that exist and still connected to me. Is it not completely deleted, the account?
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Showing 1-15 of 23 comments
( ( < < <🤖> > > ) ) Oct 12, 2022 @ 4:11am 
i dont know its the same for steam...
but deleted accounts can have a 6 month
or more sometimes even permanent dormant state
so as not to be used for scams and things...

used just might mean it cannot be activated as it has been used and deleted...
#1
cinedine Oct 12, 2022 @ 4:11am 
Did you immediately try to recreate the account?
You have 30 day cooldown period after requesting deletion.

The account might just be marked as deleted and thus unavailable to use but might be fully deleted during weekly maintenance.
Else, it might simply be stripped of any personal information but still remain in the database to link used keys and - more importantly purchases - to it. There is a legal requirement to keep business information for several years.
#2
darkmage Oct 12, 2022 @ 4:15am 
The 30 days passed and the account seems deleted. After a few days of deletion i wanted to create a new account with the same username and i read that the username is used(so i have to think of some username that nobody in the world is using). Who i using my username. Is not everything deleted?
#3
Cathulhu Oct 12, 2022 @ 4:17am 
Accounts are not entirely deleted as Valve needs to keep records of purchases and transactions for tax reasons.
As the account name is used as a unique identifier, it is reasonable to assume they still keep that in their records.
Also the reason why you can't create another account with the same account name.
#4
darkmage Oct 12, 2022 @ 4:22am 
Maybe. But i have not made any transaction in that account (0 exp, 0 wallet,0 points all zero) just one free game...............................................But the steam system does not recognize those kinds of zero accounts(maybe they cant recognize all kinds of deleted or not accounts). Thats not bad but is username the only identifier of an account? its ok cathulhu has a point....
Last edited by darkmage; Oct 12, 2022 @ 4:28am
#5
Cathulhu Oct 12, 2022 @ 4:26am 
Just because the account is deleted does not mean the records are. Some data must be stored for up to 10 years depending on laws.
So, it's quite possible the account name is simply no longer available.
#6
Arikania Oct 12, 2022 @ 4:48am 
I would think that each user is identified by a unique numerical ID, and that the account name is kinda arbitrary. That is how I would program it anyways.

Deleted accounts would then still have their original account name, being labeled inactive, or even moved to an archive of historical accounts.

That would also release the burden on the login server and thus speed up the login process, for the account names are to be searched in a database with fewer records.
Last edited by Arikania; Oct 12, 2022 @ 4:50am
#7
Pscht Oct 12, 2022 @ 4:54am 
Nobody but you is supposed to see the login name, ever. So what exactly is the problem here? You can put the DISPLAY name as whatever you want after creating the account.
#8
cinedine Oct 12, 2022 @ 4:58am 
Originally posted by Nessia:
I would think that each user has a unique numerical ID, and that the account name is kinda arbitrary. That is how I would program it anyways.

numerical or alphanumerical (U/G)UID, yeah, that's how it would be done now. Steam is from the beginning of the 2000s, though. Your username used to be the email you registered with and since emails are unique, Steam (and lots of other services back then) used them as the PK in the database. It was just a thing of its time.

Last edited by cinedine; Oct 12, 2022 @ 5:07am
#9
darkmage Oct 12, 2022 @ 5:16am 
That particular point that the login name(i believe you mean the username) its shown only to us its seem to be a mistake. Only password is hidden from anyone else, is somehow and suppose to be a private code, the username on the other hand can be seen by anyone(anyone that is watching). For password we can see dots, for username we can see it fully(so why i ask its not deleted with the deletion of the account, as it is a semi-private code, and maybe used again on a new account? Just wondering. What is fully safe-private and what is not(and so deletable)?
#10
metamec Oct 12, 2022 @ 5:18am 
I don't know about Steam, but with many internet platforms it is not unusual for a username (assuming you're talking about the name you login with) to become permanently unavailable when an account is deleted.
#11
Pscht Oct 12, 2022 @ 5:19am 
Ok, tell me what my login name is. Also, you believe wrongly.
#12
Arikania Oct 12, 2022 @ 5:21am 
darkmage and cinedine are both partially right. By default, our display name is our account name (what I called the 'login name'), but it can be set to something different.

And, to mitigate brute force attacks, it is good practice to keep them different by the way.
Last edited by Arikania; Oct 12, 2022 @ 5:22am
#13
darkmage Oct 12, 2022 @ 5:23am 
I have not the technology or the know how of other person to do that. I dont call them people if they act in a bad way..........
Last edited by darkmage; Oct 12, 2022 @ 5:24am
#14
Arikania Oct 12, 2022 @ 5:26am 
world of warcraft tends to make character names unavailable for a long time after they are deleted.

In that case, it is clear why; else, someone could pose as the player who previously played that character.
Last edited by Arikania; Oct 12, 2022 @ 5:27am
#15
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Date Posted: Oct 12, 2022 @ 4:05am
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