When a thread is "deleted" it is actually moved to another sub, the
trashcan.
Just a small correction. A mod/GM has 2 options to delete a topic :
- "Remove topic". Nobody can see the topic anymore and if it needs to be restored, only an admin can do it (via the admin panel I guess, so it's still a bit annoying).
- "Move to the Trashcan". Only the Staff can still see the topic, and if it needs to be restored, an admin or a GM can do it easily (just an another move).
Are you sure that “remove topic” isn’t just moving the thread to another “trashcan-like” sub that all mods don’t have permissions to access, and the thread is moved to this sub in those situations? I think it would be very non-optimal if a thread was really “deleted” but is still available in database backups somewhere.