Clarification on Data Erasure Requests

Shopify Discussion

Topic summary

A developer is seeking clarification on Shopify’s data erasure request handling in relation to Data Subject Requests (DSRs).

Two specific questions raised:

  1. Pending duration: How long does a data erasure request remain pending when a customer has placed an order within the past 180 days?

  2. New orders after erasure request: What happens if a customer who has already submitted a data erasure request subsequently places a new order? Specifically:

    • Will the new order be processed normally?
    • What is the status/fate of the existing erasure request?

The discussion remains open with no responses yet, awaiting input from the community or Shopify experts on these compliance-related API behaviors.

Summarized with AI on October 30. AI used: claude-sonnet-4-5-20250929.
1

We are using Shopify’s APIs to manage customer records for our clients in compliance with Data Subject Requests (DSRs). We have a few questions regarding the data erasure process:

  1. When a customer has ordered within the 180-day period, how long does the data erasure request remain in a pending state?

  2. If a customer has already submitted a data erasure request but later places another order, will the order be processed? Additionally, what happens to the existing data erasure request in such a case?