How to delete your Kickstarter account

About deleting your Kickstarter account

Kickstarter is a global crowdfunding platform that serves as a launchpad for creative projects ranging from independent films and board games to innovative technology gadgets. Unlike social networks, Kickstarter collects highly sensitive financial information, including payment methods, bank account details for project creators, and complete project pledge histories. Users often seek to delete their accounts to remove these financial links, clear their contribution history, or mitigate the impact of previous data breaches that have affected the platform.

Key reasons to consider account deletion include:

• Minimizing the exposure of your payment history and financial data.
• Removing your profile from public project comment sections.
• Revoking permissions for the platform to track your browsing habits for targeted ads.
• Preventing future notification emails regarding projects you are no longer interested in.

What happens to your data

When you request to delete your Kickstarter account, the platform typically deactivates your ability to log in and removes your public profile from view. However, Kickstarter is required to maintain certain records for legal and regulatory compliance, particularly regarding financial transactions and tax documentation related to project funding.

Data collected by Kickstarter includes:

• Full name and email address.
• Pledged project history and transaction logs.
• IP address and device information for security verification.
• Communication records from messages sent to project creators.
• Banking details for creators who have successfully funded projects.

While your public comments may be anonymized or removed, Kickstarter may retain transactional data for the duration required by law to combat fraud and fulfill tax reporting obligations. It is important to download your personal pledge data before finalizing the account deletion, as this information will become inaccessible once the account is purged.

Privacy considerations

Kickstarter tracks user engagement to personalize project recommendations and target advertising across their network and third-party partners. Because the platform bridges the gap between creative concepts and real-world commerce, the data shared includes your interest in specific sectors, which can be harvested for behavioral profiling.

Privacy tips for Kickstarter users:

• Disconnect third-party apps, such as Facebook or Google, from your Kickstarter account settings before requesting deletion.
• Review your notification settings to stop the platform from sending tracking pixels embedded in marketing emails.
• Use a dedicated email alias if you only intend to support a single project to avoid long-term account clutter.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I delete my account if I have an active project?

No, you cannot delete an account while you are a creator of a live project or an active backer of a project that has not yet been fulfilled. You must wait for the campaign to finish and rewards to be distributed.

Will my public comments be deleted along with my account?

Generally, your name will be removed from public comments, but the text of your comments might remain visible as 'Deleted User' unless you manually delete each comment before closing the account.

Does deleting my account stop my payment information from being stored?

Kickstarter works with payment processors like Stripe. While your account deletion should remove the link to your card, it is best practice to remove your credit card information from your account settings before triggering the final deletion process.

Can I recover my Kickstarter account after deletion?

Account deletion on Kickstarter is generally permanent. Once the process is confirmed, you cannot restore your pledge history, project drafts, or personal account settings.

Will creators still see that I backed their project?

If you delete your account, your name will be removed from the project backer list, and the creator will no longer see your details in their backer report.

How long does it take for my data to be fully purged?

While account access is removed immediately, the actual scrubbing of your personal information from secondary backup servers may take up to 30 days depending on Kickstarter's internal data retention cycles.