I would like to suggest splitting the delete all posts and topics allowed groups setting into narrower permissions.
At the moment, the setting is broad: it allows selected groups to delete posts and topics created by other users, and also to see deleted posts/topics. That makes sense for moderators or trusted moderation groups, but it is too powerful for a use case where I only want users to have stronger control over their own content.
To clarify, I do not mean permanent deletion/hard deletion from the database.
I am mainly asking about the ordinary user-facing deletion/revision-history behaviour: for example, when a user deletes their own post, whether it leaves the usual deleted-post placeholder, whether previous edit content remains accessible through the revision-history UI, and whether there could be a narrower permission for managing that on a user’s own posts only.
A possible split could be:
- delete own posts and topics allowed groups
- delete all posts and topics allowed groups
The first setting would only apply to content authored by the current user. The second setting would keep the current wider behaviour for groups that are trusted to delete other users’ content and see deleted content.
This would make it easier to follow least-privilege role design. For example, a site might want TL4/Leader users, or a custom trusted group, to have more control over deleting their own posts/topics without also granting them moderation-like power over other users’ content.
I realise there would need to be safeguards, especially where deleting the first post would affect a topic containing other users’ replies. In those cases, Discourse could keep the current restriction, require moderator intervention, or limit the own-content permission to replies/topics without replies.
The main request is for an own-content deletion/revision-history permission that is separate from the current global delete permission, so admins do not have to choose between ordinary user soft deletion and a much broader “can delete other users’ posts/topics” permission.