Disappearing comment handling

MakerWorld MakerWorld General
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  • Foreign Company Scope: If a foreign company targets EU customers—by offering products and services in euros, using local languages, or shipping to the EU—they are legally bound to comply with the GDPR.

  • Key points regarding the application of UK GDPR to foreign websites:

    • Targeting UK Users: Offering goods/services (even free) or monitoring user behavior (e.g., tracking cookies, analytics) within the UK triggers compliance.

    • Definition of Services: This includes websites allowing registration, newsletter subscriptions, or handling user data from the UK.

as an examples

Key examples of foreign companies fined or targeted by the ICO include:

  • Clearview AI Inc. (USA): In May 2022, the ICO fined the American facial recognition company £7,552,800 (approx. 9 million euros at the time) for breaching GDPR by scraping biometric data from the internet.

  • 23andMe (USA): In June 2025, the genetic testing company was fined £2.31 million by the ICO for violating the UK GDPR.

  • TikTok (China/Ireland): In 2023, the ICO fined TikTok £12.7 million for misusing the data of UK children.

  • Marriott International, Inc. (USA): Following a 2018 data breach, the ICO issued a notice of intent to fine the American hotel group £99 million in 2019.

  • Ticketmaster (USA/International): The ICO fined Ticketmaster UK Limited, a subsidiary of the US-based parent company, £1.25 million for a data breach in 2018.

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That’s right, but, as I said, it’s your responsibility to prove it - or, to be precise, from Europe. That definitely exceeds your, my and anyone’s area of expertise. As I said, there are specialists you can turn to: regional representatives for EU consumer protection.

Depending on which country you come from, you must report the matter to your consumer protection agency and seek advice. They can then investigate if your case is accepted.

If you post your concerns in this forum, you might as well throw your concerns in the bin. While it may be good for your personal well-being, it won’t achieve anything.

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I’m in the US so please view this as an actual question and not a statement. I thought the GDPR was to prevent companies from KEEPING your data. Like it gives you the right to ask a company to remove all the data it has on you.. it also prevents them from keeping data longer than is necessary to complete the task it was given for. I guess my question is does any part of the GDPR state they can’t remove data from their system?

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I’ll try to answer that. First, I’ll quote the text, and then I’ll paraphrase it in my own words.

“The aim is, on the one hand, to ensure the protection of personal data within the European Union and, on the other hand, to guarantee the free movement of data within the European single market.”

So it’s mainly about protecting us, coming from Europe. This means that no personal data can simply be distributed or used without regulation. Although it is often simplified, it is not that simple. I have the right to my own data, and I can:

a) request that it be provided to me;
b) refuse its use without my consent; and
c) request that it be deleted.

Anyone who wants to enforce this may contact the regional EU consumer protection agency.

However, it is often not that simple. Usually, you agree that the company can use the data for technical reasons. Bambu Cloud is an example of this. You may also transfer some rights to Bambu when uploading 3D models to MakerWorld.

However, companies are also protected, particularly in the context of information gathering, such as on forums and wikis. In such cases, the right to protection may be invalidated because the individual worked for the company voluntarily.

Actually, the GDPR regulates that data must be deleted at your request under certain circumstances, not its preservation.

In a nutshell: The GDPR does not require companies to retain data - rather, it requires them not to store data longer than necessary. A retention obligation only arises if other laws (e.g., tax or commercial law) require it.

2 Likes
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Let’s not forget that not every law or regulation really helps anyone or solves the problems it just moves the goalposts. This particular issue is one of the things that I dont see how it helps anyone to say a company can’t delete a comment - that frankly should have been deleted because your suggestion about the plates did get addressed. If it was left it might have created confusion. You not seeing that you left that comment after it was deleted seems like the smallest of problems with the comment system.

California cancer proposition - everyone just put it on everything as a catch all and nobody reads it or cares.
We all have to accept or adjust cookies on every website now because of the whole tracking panic of of around 2018. It didn’t stop tracking, it just made it a little harder but they still track and now we the users have to acknowledge it on every website. It’s noise that is ignored just like EULAs/TOCs.

I don’t think you should surrender, I just think you should fight a battle worth fighting. This is just my opinion and you have yours - and there is nothing wrong with having a conversation about it. We can agree to disagree, but I really dont see how this particular issue can harm anyone. The copying of prints, piracy, and absolute panic of less than 5 star review is the part that really needs attention.

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:backhand_index_pointing_right: :enraged_face: pow (my head, no one elses)