What does deletion mean when copying bytes is cheap and can happen without consent anywhere along the line. A conjecture is that deletion can only exist in non-byzantine environments. The more observers there are the harder it is to convince everyone to delete/forget it.

Does deletion ever actually occur? How does this reconcile with theories like conservation of information? (erase vs whiteout)

See also: right to be forgotten

Turns of Phrase

Damnatio memoriae is a modern Latin phrase meaning “condemnation of memory”, indicating that a person is to be excluded from official accounts

Deletion trilemma

Any implementation of deletion in a p2p context cannot have all of:

  1. Byzantine fault-tolerant
  2. Actual deletion
  3. Fast/efficient