Article content

VANCOUVER — Aware that the campaigns of many aspiring politicians have derailed because of social media skeletons, first-time Vancouver city council candidate Brandon Yan thought he was doing the sensible thing when he signed up for an app that helps delete old Twitter posts.

But in a damned if you do, damned if you don’t moment, the political neophyte is now facing backlash for that decision, accused on social media of lacking transparency and facing questions about what may be lurking in his past.

We apologize, but this video has failed to load.

tap here to see other videos from our team. Try refreshing your browser, or Delete that tweet — or not? Vancouver city council candidate criticized for scrubbing Twitter posts Back to video

Photo by Supplied

“I’m sitting here not knowing what’s happening,” Yan, 32, who works for a non-profit, told the National Post on Wednesday.

“I don’t have a team of people coaching me how to do these things. I’m doing the best to my ability.”

Once you’ve exposed your intimate ideas or opinions, it can be difficult, digital media experts say, to reclaim them — or stuff them back into a social media bottle.

“The internet has no delete button, so everything you decide to share online can and will have a perpetual life, and anyone who thinks they can erase every last vestige of their online activity is deluding themselves,” said Carmi Levy, a technology analyst based in London, Ont.