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> However, if the conversation is chat/text/email then it is considered a written record that may not be destroyed

There's no fundamental physical law proving this.

There's no reason messaging shouldn't be considered ephemeral by default, and that recording a history of past messages is an optional extra.

Programmatically what would you need to do? Not add the code that commits the message history to storage, and add a read on expiry feature.

This tends to be how I configure all my online conversations if I have the option, obviously where I'm not intentionally posting in public with no delete option.



This is a legal topic, and therefore the reason text messaging should not be considered ephemeral by default is that it has not been considered so. Fundamental physics or programming requirements have nothing to do with it.


Do you mean to imply legal precedents are never overturned?

Because that doesn't sound like an argument anyone would intentionally make.


> Please respond to the strongest plausible interpretation of what someone says, not a weaker one that's easier to criticize. Assume good faith.

I've always considered that to mean "assume basic sparks of intelligence", how about you?




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