Löschungs

Löschungs is the genitive form of the German noun Löschung, which means deletion, erasure, or extinguishment. As a standalone term it is uncommon; it mainly appears within compounds or as a genitive attribute, for example Löschungsdatum (deletion date), Löschungsmaßnahme (deletion measure), or Löschungsprotokoll (deletion log). The base Löschung denotes the act or process of removing data, destroying a record, or extinguishing something, depending on the context.

In data protection and information management, the phrase Recht auf Löschung (right to erasure) is central under the European Union’s data protection framework. Individuals can request deletion of personal data, subject to exemptions such as legal obligations, public interest, or the necessity to retain data for specific purposes. In information technology, Datenlöschung refers to the secure removal of data, with distinctions often drawn between hard deletes and soft deletes, as well as the use of Löschungsprotokolle to document and audit deletion activities.

In administrative and archival contexts, Löschungen can describe the removal of records from public registers or archives. Deletion policies and procedures (Löschungsrichtlinien, Löschungsverfahren) often establish retention periods and criteria for when records are permanently erased. Applications include removing outdated entries from registers, clearing sensitive records, or complying with statutory data-retention limits. While Löschung remains the basic term for deletion, Löschungs- forms are widely used in compound nouns to specify the nature, timing, and governance of a deletion action.

See also Löschung, Datenlöschung, Recht auf Vergessenwerden, Datenschutz, Archivierung.