Title says it all. The platform is slowly phasing out relevance.
But who would I be to call out an issue without naming a solution?

First of all, we have to get to the why;

-The content produced by users is typically shorter term anecdotes rather than actually being of substance or reeling interaction
-Users make the atmosphere uninviting by not allowing certain nieches or introductions for new users
-The general concept of a "forum" has been lost. This website wasn't designed to post about face reveals or icebreakers, it was made to host topics, especially towards the concept of BDNS and how to move forward with it

How YOU can help:

-Post about your interests! Share quirky things that you're well educated on and can share, no matter how "out there" it might feel
-Host cordial debates, not ones that cause toxic arguements, ones that are conducive to problem-solution oriented mindsets
-Keep generalized points of interest in designated areas, particularly in shoutbox, etc
And most importantly:
-Share your ideas! Tell us all what you think would make BDNS a better platform moving forward. From what i can gather, the developers & admins really value feedback, so share it! Every little contribution helps, and you definitely have the power to influence the future of this platform

Make a change, for the better :)

@Yuni-Just-weird didnt know i wasnt allowed to like jschlatt but sure

@Yuni-Just-weird u could just cut out an old rug tbh

@Ameris_Blizz no because horatio is actually funny and andy just spews youtube shorts-level insults

looks are subjective, if sum1 else thinks ur chopped u cant change that ur the one who posted urself, deal w the outcome either way

@jbthebeloved baseball, huh?

his acc is only 2mo old tho life moves fast i guess?

@Raven
That'd actually be much appreciated! I think progressive documentation is very important.

@VGMoose
Thank you for your transparency and willingness.
Again, the main goal of this post was to get insight, which I find you have provided, and more, not only in your own wording but the cited sources are extremely appreciated as well. I especially appreciate your clarity around account deletion and the nuance of shared content ownership.

That said, I do think there’s room for improvement in how these details are surfaced to users, particularly those trying to make informed choices before deleting their account.

For example, the fact that uploads or chat messages aren’t automatically purged, or that deletion locks a user out of further manual clean-up, feels like something worth spotlighting more prominently in your Terms or help pages. A “deletion checklist” or even just an annotated section could go a long way toward transparency.

Likewise, I respect the reliance on NodeBB’s defaults, but as the host, it’s your interpretation and implementation of those defaults that shape the user experience. Are you open to co-developing clearer guidance or even tweaks to the GDPR plugin to accommodate things like ex-user content purges?

Again, I appreciate your openness and professionalism here. The dialogue alone is already a huge step forward, but clarity and structure benefit everyone, especially when acting towards a world where users take more initiative as to what happens with their personal data.

@Mozuku-Kun please :3 thx

@Mozuku-Kun
I want to be honest here; your response feels a bit ingenuine. I was expecting someone from the admin team, someone with actual authority over the ToS and backend to address these concerns directly. However, this comes off as heavily PR-oriented and AI-generated.

While you acknowledge the issues with empathy, the reply doesn’t lay out what’s actually being done. Is there a roadmap for resolving this? Can we see a published version of what you seek to have done in the future? Have any changes been initiated yet, or is this still stuck in discussion?

If this platform has long recognized that its consent model is flawed, and the form I saw a year ago still hasn’t changed, then why has it been acceptable to leave that untouched?

I’m not trying to accuse, but when the issues have persisted this long, the thought of accountability becomes more and more unreliable. Why should users believe change will come now, when you’ve had more than enough time?
Recognition is a start. Action matters more. So, in final, my questions are, what is the plan to change, who's in charge of initiating that change, and when can we expect to see it?

The aim of this post is to gain clarity regarding user consent and the specifics of how our data is harvested and utilized.
My goals in publishing this are twofold:

-- Raise awareness around user consent and safety throughout BDNS, helping users stay mindful of these issues on future platforms.

-- Pose direct questions to the BDNS Administrative Team, in hopes of receiving honest and transparent answers.

From here on out, this post will be structured into two subsections, Questions & Statements. Questions will be labeled with "Q", and statements will be labeled with "S".

S1: My personal information, including a picture of my face, from a now-deleted account, remains on this platform, even after I 'revoked my consent' when I deleted it.

S2: Similar to Discord, leaving a chatroom or deleting your account does not remove your old posts or chat history. It's not gone, it's stored.*

S3: You may opt out of BDNS's consent to harvest and "use" your personal information, however the efforts in doing so are not extensive, and if you do not take action to erase all of your personal information on your end, you will not be able to in the future. Your data will remain on BDNS, with or without your knowledge, for years to come.**

S4: Despite the claim that account deletion equals revoking consent, BDNS’s lack of data removal options and vague Terms of Service suggest otherwise. This poses concerns not only for my privacy, but for every user who assumes deletion means erasure.

*Unlike Discord, however, BDNS offers no detailed breakdown of data processing practices in its Terms of Service.

**The picture of my face I am referring to has remained on BDNS since 22. Apr. 2024.

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Questionnaire section:

Q1: How is our data utilized for a “personalized experience”? As far as users can tell, BDNS doesn’t seem to use algorithmic structuring like most platforms, so if personalization isn’t the purpose, then what is?

Q2: What does “deleted” mean on BDNS’s backend? Is it wiped, archived, flagged, or something else entirely?

Q3: Why are user interactions, including private messages and deactivated posts, stored indefinitely? What future use could possibly justify that?

Q4: BDNS requires user consent during account creation, but why is the consent bundled with vague, open-ended terms about data retention? Would you consider moving toward a model where users clearly opt into specific data uses, rather than consenting to a blanket policy they can’t fully control?

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As a closing note, and reiteration, this post's goals are NOT to start conspiracy nor distrust in BDNS. It is a call for honesty, and a call to every user on BDNS to take their internet safety and consent more seriously in the future.

@luuvxx_ im just sayin twih lifes better when u turn the frown upside down twih

on foenem grave twih u woulda looked better smiling twih

ah hell nah twih we glazing in the chat now twih ahh hell nah twih

@Apollo.Is.Silly ykw fuck yeah next story should be about alcoholism

i had a _ but lost it to _ when i _ and my _ got EXTREMELY upset, so much so that they _ me

@briislife they might, but vancouver is also a party-ish hotspot so who knowsss, youll have to see

but i wouldnt hold out hope nor lack of hope till yk for sure

my thoughts depend on which region of canada youre in :p