---
type: concept
title: Matrix Privacy and Data Retention
tags: [privacy, matrix, data-retention]
related: [matrix, matrix-id, gdpr-compliance, federated-data-storage]
created: 2026-06-30
updated: 2026-06-30
sources: ["output/rz_uni_greifswald_de_dienste_allgemein_instant_messaging_chat_matrix_datenschutz.md"]
---

# Matrix Privacy and Data Retention

The privacy framework for the [[matrix]] service at the [[universitat-greifswald]] is designed to balance functional communication with GDPR requirements.

## Data Retention Rules
- **Log Data**: All system log data is automatically deleted after 7 days.
- **Account Data**: Personal data (name, email) is deleted upon request or when the user leaves the university.
- **Room Data**: Messages and files within a room are only deleted from the university server when **all** participants have left the room. If a user leaves a room or deletes their account, the content remains until the room is empty.

## Privacy Challenges
- **ID Permanence**: Due to protocol limitations, the [[matrix-id]] is never deleted. The URZ uses [[matrix-id-anonymization]] to address this.
- **External Control**: Because of [[federated-data-storage]], the university cannot enforce deletion on external servers. Users are responsible for contacting external operators to exercise their data rights.