{
  "research_cutoff": "2026-09-28",
  "type": "Documented policy comparison, not recovery experiment",
  "rows": [
    {
      "service": "Apple Messages",
      "mechanism": "Age-based removal and synchronized deletion",
      "window": "30 days / one year / Forever; Recently Deleted up to 30 days",
      "scope": "Account settings and devices using Messages in iCloud",
      "sources": [
        {
          "id": "M1",
          "url": "https://support.apple.com/en-ie/guide/iphone/iph2c9c4bfcb/ios"
        },
        {
          "id": "M2",
          "url": "https://support.apple.com/en-gb/guide/messages/icht1035/14.0/mac/26"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "service": "WhatsApp",
      "mechanism": "Optional message expiry",
      "window": "24 hours / seven days / 90 days after sending",
      "scope": "New messages; copies/exceptions prevent a universal erasure guarantee",
      "sources": [
        {
          "id": "M3",
          "url": "https://faq.whatsapp.com/673193694148537"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "service": "Telegram",
      "mechanism": "Participant deletion and device-specific Secret Chats",
      "window": "No single universal timer represented here",
      "scope": "One-to-one both-sides deletion differs from Secret Chat device availability",
      "sources": [
        {
          "id": "M4",
          "url": "https://www.telegram.org/faq"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "service": "Gmail",
      "mechanism": "Trash recovery period",
      "window": "Up to 30 days after deletion; earlier permanent deletion possible",
      "scope": "Inbox absence alone does not establish deletion",
      "sources": [
        {
          "id": "M5",
          "url": "https://support.google.com/mail/answer/7401?hl=en"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "service": "Slack Free",
      "mechanism": "Visibility window plus deletion policy",
      "window": "90-day accessible history; more-than-one-year removal or shorter chosen policy",
      "scope": "Pinning/saving does not override applicable retention",
      "sources": [
        {
          "id": "M6",
          "url": "https://slack.com/help/articles/115002422943-Usage-limits-for-free-workspaces"
        },
        {
          "id": "M7",
          "url": "https://slack.com/intl/en-gb/help/articles/203457187-Customise-data-retention-in-Slack"
        }
      ]
    }
  ]
}