Does "deactivating" an account actually delete the account?

[xyglafit]

Saw post(s) asking about how to "completely delete" a Square account, which is quite understandable in these days where sensitive/private info is being targeted or hacked all over the place.  Even PayPal instructs users to delete their data before closing an account, with PayPal permanently deleting the account/info after 24 hours of account closure.  The instructions in the thread only pointed towards deactivating an account.  Does "deactivating" the account completely remove all user data?

[isabelle]

Hey @xyglafit !  💫

Thanks for posting in the Seller Community. Good question! 

Even if you deactivate or delete your account with Square, there is some information that Square may maintain. For instance, we may have legal and compliance obligations to maintain transaction records and account information that our compliance and fraud team can access because we are a regulated financial institution.

Note: Deactivating your Square account is not a CCPA deletion request. To learn more about CCPA deletion requests, please visit our Support Center.

I hope this provides some insight ✨

[xyglafit]

Hey Isabelle.  Thank you for the reply.

Could you explain more about what data regarding the Square account's business and account owner are deleted and which are continued to be stored?

For example, is data regarding the business or individual owner itself (i.e. SSN, EIN, bank account info, linked accounts, name, address, etc.) completely deleted, or does it remain in Square's possession?

[isabelle]

That information would be kept on record @xglafit. 

You can call us to have the bank account removed entirely if your account is active and not under review. 

[xyglafit]

Interesting.... sure is a lot of users' personal/private data being kept in Square's possession despite their decision to no longer do business with Square...