Some version of "these comments are a donation to the community and the idea of taking your ball and going home is anathema to what we are trying to build here"

which is a long way of saying "we think our shit don't stink"

I've recently (over two months) deleted my Twitter, Reddit, and Facebook accounts and was not impressed by what I found when I went to delete my HN account.

I understand that there are other options (reset password to random gibberish, run a script to delete my comments) and none of that would provide the catharsis I aimed for so I'm still here, for now, I guess.

I thought you wanted to delete your account. Why are you still here?

Just told you, there's no delete button.

Yeah, but if you don't want to be here, why are you still around? You can't delete your account, but you can stop using the site.

I answered that in my original post: "I understand that there are other options (reset password to random gibberish, run a script to delete my comments[, or, third option I'm inserting now, which seemed obvious to the point of not bothering to state it, just stop using the site]) and none of that would provide the catharsis I aimed for so I'm still here, for now, I guess."

Oh, you just want to complain.

I don't think it's unreasonable to complain about HN not having the same functionality that every other social media site has.

"I've had it with social media sites. I thought HN could be a last bastion, then I saw a dude arguing that he wasn't sure tuberculosis was as bad as it's made it out to be and decided it was just as shitty there as everywhere else. I went to delete my account and found out I couldn't, which hilariously strengthened my resolve to delete the account.

I'd say thanks but I think it's extremely stupid that you're making me resort to this method to achieve the desired result that a half dozen other sites had no issue letting me get to without explaining why or waiting in a multi-day queue, so I'll just say, I hope you have a nice day."

They absolutely do allow that, they just ask that you send them a request which they regularly respond to. That doesn't violate GDPR or CA's law, and why should it?

One of the major elements of this site is that it's a building knowledge-base, at least in theory, and people randomly gouging parts of it out on a whim is unhelpful. By adding a (legally acceptable) step in between the urge to delete and the action, they toe the line while discouraging tantrums.

There's nothing the GDPR that says deletion must be self serve.