Not everything is meant to last forever, and profiles are no exception. For reasons of data protection or data purging, sometimes a profile must go the way of the dinosaur. š¦āļø Still, should it be totally lost to history or leave a few fossils behind? That will depend entirely upon the circumstances. Read on to find out your options for managing profile data while maintaining compliance and data integrity.
What are your profile deletion options?
Full Fabric offers three ways to handle unwanted profiles, each serving different needs:
1. Purge profile
Completely and irreversibly wipes out any trace of a profile from Full Fabric. š£ This removes all personal information AND all statistical data associated with the profile.
2. Anonymize profile
Deletes personal identifier fields (name, email, address, mobile phone, etc.) while preserving other fields that aren't personal identifiers, plus anonymized statistical contributions for reporting and analytics. This is the recommended option for most deletion scenarios, but further down this article we'll dive deeper into it.
3. Scrub profile
Permanently deletes all associated data except for the person's first name, last name, and primary email address. This option is typically used for GDPR "Right to Erasure" requests and prevents the profile from being accidentally recreated by staff. Since the profile email is kept, it can still be contacted via 1-to-1 emails or campaigns.
Understanding the 'Anonymize' option
The Anonymize option addresses two common challenges:
GDPR Compliance: Removes personally identifiable information (PII) while maintaining legitimate business interests in anonymized data.
Data Integrity: Prevents distortion of historical analytics when cleaning up inactive profiles. Your conversion rates, application statistics, and campaign performance remain accurate.
What gets removed:
First name, last name
Email address
Contact details such as phone number and address
Other profile info fields that might represent personal identifiers
What gets preserved:
Application submissions (counts and dates)
Form completions
Campaign interactions (delivery, open, click rates)
Event registrations and attendance
Lifecycle progression statistics
Profile info fields that aren't personal identifiers (such as gender, nationality, etc)
The purpose of deleting some fields while preserving others in the profileās Info tab is to ensure that all personally identifying information is removed, so that anyone viewing the profile can no longer identify the individual.
Fields such as name, email address, and phone number are clear personal identifiers and should therefore be deleted when a profile is anonymized. Other fields, such as gender or nationality, are not identifying on their own. For example, there may be thousands of profiles with the gender field populated as āmaleā or hundreds with the nationality field populated as āFranceā, so this information cannot reasonably be used to accuratelly identify a specific person.
In reports and lists, these anonymized profiles appear as "profile-deleted-001", "profile-deleted-002", etc.
Full Fabricās profile deletion and anonymization functionality is designed to support compliance with GDPR requirements
Full Fabric's profile deletion tool was designed and legally validated to be fully compliant with the GDPR legislation.
When to use each deletion method
Use Case | Recommended Method |
GDPR "Right to Erasure" request | Scrub profile |
Inactive prospects cluttering your database | Anonymize profile |
Data protection compliance with analytics needs | Anonymize profile |
Complete removal required (rare cases) | Purge profile |
Test profiles or data cleanup | Purge profile |
How to purge, anonymize or scrub a profile
Individual profiles
Enter a profile and open the Advanced tab
Access the General tab
Click Delete profile
In the modal that pops, choose the deletion method (purge, anonymize, scrub)
Check "I understand this action cannot be undone"
Click Delete profile
Bulk deletion for multiple profiles
Access or create a segment with the profiles you want to delete
Click the vertical ellipsis (ā®) on the list search bar
Choose Delete profiles
Select your preferred deletion method in the modal
Confirm the action
Can anonymized and scrubbed profiles be deleted?
Yes, a profile that's been anonymized or scrubbed can still be deleted. However, you'll lose the benefits of the anonymize or scrub status, including protection against accidental profile recreation.
ā ļø Important Reminder: All the purging, anonymizing and scrubbing actions are irreversible. Full Fabric cannot recover deleted data. Choose your deletion method carefully based on your specific needs.