How to delete your Keybase account

About deleting your Keybase account

Keybase is a security-focused communication platform that bridges the gap between traditional social media identities and public-key cryptography. By linking accounts like GitHub, Twitter, or Reddit to a cryptographic identity, Keybase allows users to engage in end-to-end encrypted chats and secure file sharing via the Keybase Filesystem (KBFS).

Users often choose to delete their Keybase accounts when they decide to move away from centralized key management services or when they wish to sunset their public cryptographic presence. Deleting your account is the only way to ensure that your verified proofs and identity associations are no longer linked to your offline cryptographic keys.

• Remove your public-key identity from the Keybase registry.
• Terminate access to KBFS folders shared with other users.
• Disconnect verified social media proofs (e.g., Twitter, GitHub).
• Halt the synchronization of encrypted chat history with Keybase servers.

What happens to your data

When you initiate the deletion process, Keybase marks your account for permanent removal. Because Keybase utilizes a decentralized philosophy for key management but a centralized server for chat and file discovery, the following occurs:

• Cryptographic keys: Your private keys, which are stored locally on your device, are invalidated on the server side, making them useless for future decryption of messages.
• Chat history: While Keybase states that messages are encrypted, deleting the account removes the cloud-synced pointers to these conversations.
• KBFS data: Any files stored in your private or public KBFS folders will lose their primary access point, effectively rendering the files inaccessible.
• Identity proofs: The public records on the Keybase server verifying your social media identity will be purged.

Note that while Keybase purges these identifiers, copies of messages may persist on the devices of other users with whom you have communicated.

Privacy considerations

Keybase provides robust encryption, but its reliance on server-side lookups for identity verification remains a point of contention for privacy purists. Since Keybase is owned by Zoom, users concerned about corporate data sharing policies often prefer to delete their accounts to minimize their digital footprint within that ecosystem.

• Revoke all linked social media accounts before deleting your Keybase account to ensure local buffers are cleared.
• Clear your local device's Keybase cache to remove sensitive metadata.
• Understand that encrypted messages stored on other participants' devices cannot be 'deleted' by your account removal.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I recover my Keybase account after deletion?

No, deleting your account is a permanent, non-reversible action that destroys your cryptographic identity on the Keybase network.

Does deleting my account delete messages sent to others?

Keybase deletes the data from their servers, but messages already received by other users will remain in their local Keybase chat logs.

Do I need to uninstall the app after deletion?

Yes, it is recommended to uninstall the Keybase desktop and mobile applications after confirming account deletion to remove all local configuration files and cached logs.

Will my GitHub or Twitter proofs disappear immediately?

Yes, the public verification proofs hosted on Keybase servers are revoked and removed during the deletion process.

Is it necessary to be on a desktop to delete my account?

Yes, the current Keybase architecture requires the desktop client to verify the cryptographic signature of the deletion request.

What happens to my KBFS files?

Files stored in the Keybase Filesystem become unreachable once your account is deleted and your private keys are nullified.