Kind 62: Request to Vanish

Overview

Kind 62 events provide a Nostr-native mechanism for users to request the complete deletion of their digital footprint from specific relays or from the entire Nostr network. This is designed as a legally binding event in some jurisdictions, offering a "right to be forgotten" functionality. Relays that support this NIP are expected to permanently delete all events associated with the requesting public key.

Specification

Property	Value
Kind Number	62
Event Range	Regular
Defined in	NIP-62

Content Format

The content field may contain a reason for the request or a legal notice directed to relay operators. The content is optional but can provide context or formal justification for the deletion request.

Schema

"content": "Requesting complete removal of my data in accordance with GDPR Article 17."

Tags

Tag Name	Description	Format	Required
relay	Target relay URL or ALL_RELAYS	["relay", "<relay-url>"] or ["relay", "ALL_RELAYS"]	Yes

Client Behavior

Clients should:

1. Allow users to create and send Request to Vanish events
2. For specific relay requests, send the event only to the targeted relays
3. For global requests (ALL_RELAYS), broadcast the event to as many relays as possible
4. Inform users of the permanent nature of this request
5. Not attempt to create events that would "undo" or cancel a Request to Vanish

Relay Behavior

Relays should:

1. Permanently delete all events from the requesting public key up to the creation date of the Request to Vanish
2. Delete all NIP-59 Gift Wraps that p-tagged the requesting public key
3. Ensure deleted events cannot be re-broadcast into the relay
4. Optionally store the signed request to vanish event itself for bookkeeping
5. Honor the request regardless of user status (paid subscribers, restricted users, etc.)
6. Realize that deletion request events (Kind 5) do not apply to Request to Vanish events

Use Cases

• Implementing "right to be forgotten" for legal compliance (GDPR, CCPA, etc.)
• Completely removing a user's presence from specific relays
• Comprehensive account deletion from the Nostr ecosystem
• Privacy protection for users who wish to permanently remove their digital trail

Example

{
  "id": "fe8b1c9a37218cf5ce604a8dce596c9c3ae0c650df2336f3c60c78e61a7b2031",
  "pubkey": "79dff8f82963424e0bb02708a22e44b4980893e3a4be0fa3cb60a43b946764e3",
  "created_at": 1671217411,
  "kind": 62,
  "tags": [
    ["relay", "wss://relay.example.com"]
  ],
  "content": "Requesting complete removal of my data in accordance with GDPR Article 17.",
  "sig": "908a15e46fb4d8675bab026fc230a0e3542bfade63da02d542fb78b2a8513fcd0092619a2c8c1221e581946e0191f2af505dfdf8657a414dbca329186f009262"
}

Global request example:

{
  "id": "a76f39224cebd44cf04eeebe01d5ab2e8f7a3e5e56c83cadd252e7bc5e2e34fd",
  "pubkey": "f7234bd4c1394dda46d09f35bd384dd30cc552ad5541990f98844fb06676e9ca",
  "created_at": 1671217500,
  "kind": 62,
  "tags": [
    ["relay", "ALL_RELAYS"]
  ],
  "content": "Requesting complete deletion of all my data from all relays.",
  "sig": "a76f39224cebd44cf04eeebe01d5ab2e8f7a3e5e56c83cadd252e7bc5e2e34fd7ad7148cf7a2c7620d9490ccf2e1bac521995725f2e1f543159b8eb98bfdd405"
}

References

• NIP-62: Request to Vanish
• NIP-59: Gift Wrap (for context on how DMs are handled)
• NIP-09: Event Deletion (for understanding the difference between deletion and vanishing)

Related Kinds

• Kind 5: Event Deletion Request - Less comprehensive deletion request
• Kind 13: Seal - Related to NIP-59 Gift Wrap encryption

Notes

• Request to Vanish is more comprehensive than standard event deletion (Kind 5)
• Once issued, there is no mechanism to "undo" a Request to Vanish
• The event is designed to be legally binding in jurisdictions with "right to be forgotten" laws
• Relays that do not support this NIP may still store the user's data even after a global request
• The request applies to all events from the public key up to the creation date of the Request to Vanish