The solution: A three‑layer deletion model This is the only model that satisfies both Lemmy’s architecture and user expectations.

Layer 1 — Local hard deletion (guaranteed) When a user deletes a post/comment:

the content is wiped from their home server

the object can remain as a placeholder to preserve thread structure

media files are fully removed

This part is already possible.

Layer 2 — Federated delete signal (best‑effort) When deletion happens, the home server sends a message:

“This content is deleted — purge your copy.”

Servers that respect federation will:

delete their cached copy

update the thread

remove the content from search

Servers that don’t care will ignore it — but that’s already true today.

This is the missing piece Lemmy needs to implement.

Layer 3 — User‑initiated purge request (optional escalation) Admins already have a purge tool that:

deletes content locally

sends a federated purge request

is accepted by most servers

Expose this to users in a controlled way:

rate‑limited

confirmation required

optional admin approval

This gives users real deletion power without enabling abuse.