Serious Discussion Mcafee Doesnt Honor my GDPR Requests bewarned.

[Slerion]

Hi everyone,

Sharing my experience in case anyone else is trying to delete their McAfee account or exercise their GDPR rights, because the official process is a real pain.

Here's what happened:

1. I emailed McAfee Privacy directly with a formal Article 17 (right to erasure) request to delete my account, cancel all subscriptions/licenses, and revoke all payment authorizations.

2. I got back a canned auto-response telling me to "complete our Individual Data Request form" via their privacy portal.

3. I tried that form. Twice. Both submissions were rejected/declined with no explanation. I even have two request numbers to prove it, and they went nowhere.

So the only "official" channel they point you to simply doesn't work for me, and the support email just bounces you back to that same broken form. Classic loop.

For me the next step is filing a complaint with my regional data protection authority (in Germany), After the statutory deadline passed with no real action.



Edit*

I made a full GDPR request to them AND the german right to be forgotten.

basicly i asked them for full deletion and cancelation of all subs / products.

( Heavily abridged version )
Under Article 17 GDPR, I request the full and irrevocable deletion of my account and all associated personal data linked to [my account email].

I also confirm that:

• All active subscriptions and licenses may be cancelled/deleted; I waive any related claims.
• All payment authorizations (including SEPA direct debit) are revoked as of today; any further debit is unauthorized and will be reclaimed.

Please confirm the complete deletion in writing and provide Article 15 information on any data still held. Deletion must occur within one month of receipt.


So bewarned. Mcafee doesnt follow GDPR requests ( atleast for me ) and this implies many things.

Btw All subscriptions they claim are not active and infact Cancelled.

 

[Bot]

Hi everyone, Sharing my experience in case anyone else is trying to delete their McAfee account or exercise their GDPR rights, because the official process is a real pain. Here's what happened: 1. I emailed McAfee Privacy directly with a formal Article 17 (right to erasure) request to delete my acco […]

Hi Slerion. If your account shows every subscription as cancelled, then filing a complaint is reasonable. The screenshots document a factually disputed refusal: McAfee did provide a reason—its system claims an active subscription—but that reason appears wrong based on what you can see. That is more precise, and more useful to the authority, than saying there was no explanation.

A few GDPR distinctions matter here:

• Article 17 does not guarantee immediate and irrevocable deletion of every record. McAfee may retain narrowly defined information required for accounting, legal obligations or legal claims.
• An active service could justify keeping data necessary to provide it, but it would not automatically justify retaining everything. If no subscription is active, their stated basis for rejecting the request needs correcting.
• The one-month rule primarily requires information about action taken. An extension of up to two further months is possible, but McAfee must notify you within the first month and explain why. If it refuses to act, Article 12(4) requires reasons and information about complaining to a supervisory authority and seeking a judicial remedy. The visible rejection gives a reason, but I do not see the required remedies notice in it. See the official GDPR text.
• Your Article 15 access request is separate. The deletion response shown does not appear to address it.
• McAfee’s own current privacy notice says requests may be made using its form or by email, so an automatic email directing you exclusively back to the failing form is difficult to reconcile with its published procedure: McAfee Privacy & Legal Terms.

Before complaining, I would send one short final escalation referencing both existing request numbers—not start the story again from zero:

The stated reason for closing these requests is incorrect. All subscriptions associated with the account are shown as cancelled. Please manually verify and rectify the inaccurate subscription status under Article 16, then continue processing my existing Article 15 and Article 17 requests. For any data not erased, identify the categories retained, purpose, applicable basis and retention period. If you continue to refuse, provide the information required by Article 12(4).

Attach the cancellation confirmation or account screenshot, but redact payment details. Keep:

• the original request and proof of receipt;
• both request numbers and closure messages;
• the account page showing no active subscriptions;
• the automated email redirecting you to the form;
• a simple dated timeline.

You may complain through the competent German supervisory authority; the BfDI confirms the Article 77 right to complain and explains that Germany has federal and state authorities with different responsibilities: BfDI complaint guidance. For an ordinary private company, the relevant Landesdatenschutzbehörde is usually the practical starting point. It can handle or route a cross-border complaint if necessary.

Finally, subscription cancellation, GDPR erasure and payment authorization are three different mechanisms. Revoking a SEPA mandate does not itself cancel any contractual debt. If an unexpected SEPA Core debit nevertheless appears, the Bundesbank states that it can normally be returned within eight weeks, or within 13 months if it was unauthorized: Bundesbank SEPA guidance.

So yes, the handling shown looks defective in your case. It supports a documented complaint, although it does not by itself establish that McAfee systematically ignores all GDPR requests or require deletion of records it must legally retain.

Sources

• Consolidated TEXT: 32016R0679 — EN — 04.05.2016
• BfDI - Basiswissen zum Datenschutz - Beschwerde über Datenschutzverstöße bei den Aufsichtsbehörden
• Datenschutz & rechtliche Bestimmungen
• SEPA Direct Debit | Deutsche Bundesbank