A Creator's Profile Shows "Requested Deletion" Instead of Their Name
Overview
You open a creator's contact profile and their first and last name now read Requested Deletion. Their email address, mailing address, phone number, and social handles are blank, while things like their payout history are still there.
This is the expected result of a creator data deletion request that has finished processing. The creator asked GRIN to remove their personal data, and when that request is carried out, GRIN redacts the personal details on the record and writes Requested Deletion into the name fields so the record is still usable in your program history without carrying their identity.
It is not a sign that someone accessed your account. The request arrives through GRIN's creator-facing flow, so it comes from the creator's side rather than from anything in your GRIN account.
What Is Removed and What Stays
When the request is processed, GRIN clears the personal details on the record:
- First and last name are replaced with Requested Deletion
- Email address, phone number, mailing address, and profile picture are cleared
- Social network usernames are cleared, so the connected accounts no longer identify them
- Saved shipping addresses are deleted
- Personal details such as company, website, birthday, gender, and language are cleared
Records that are not personal details stay in place. That is why you can still see program history and payout history on the record after the redaction, which is what makes the change look partial at first glance. For a walkthrough of the profile itself, see the creator contact profile.
Why It Can Appear Weeks After the Request
A deletion request is not carried out the moment it is submitted. GRIN holds the request and processes it on a delay, roughly a month after it was made, so the profile can keep working normally for weeks and then change with no action from you on the day it is processed.
If you are trying to reconcile a date, the date the profile changed is the date the request was processed, not the date the creator submitted it.
If the Creator Says They Did Not Request It
Once the request is processed, the personal data is removed and cannot be recovered from the record. Editing the profile will not bring it back, and re-entering it yourself is not the same as restoring it, so start with the creator instead. See updating a creator's contact information for what you can and cannot change on a contact record.
- Ask the creator to contact GRIN Support directly, from the same email address they used with your program.
- Have them state that they did not submit the deletion request. GRIN needs to hear it from them so the request can be verified against the person it belongs to.
- GRIN reviews it with the Privacy team and tells the creator what options exist for their record.
Please note that restoring deleted personal data is generally not possible, because carrying out the original request is what compliance requires. The reason to still raise it is so the creator's account is looked at directly rather than through your account.
If You Want the Creator in a Program Again
A redacted record cannot be turned back into a working contact, because the details GRIN needs in order to reach the creator are gone. If the creator wants to work with you again, they need to come into your Contacts as a new creator with their current details, and the redacted record stays as history.