Can I delete Nostr accounts? I deleted from the OpenVibes app. I didn’t know I can do that.

Nostr accounts cannot be fully deleted because they are based on a decentralized protocol. Instead of traditional “accounts,” Nostr uses key pairs (public and private keys) to represent users. Here’s what you can do:

• Clear Metadata: You can delete or clear all metadata (e.g., username, profile picture) associated with your public key. This effectively “empties” your profile.
• Abandon the Key: Simply stop using the key and generate a new one. The old profile will persist on relays but remain inactive.
• Delete Content: Some apps, like Damus, allow you to mark content as deleted, but this is not enforced across all relays and doesn’t guarantee full removal.
• OpenVibe App: If you used OpenVibe to manage your Nostr activity, removing your account there only affects the app, not the underlying Nostr data.

Due to the decentralized nature of Nostr, true deletion is not possible, as data may still exist on relays or in backups.