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So, relatively recently bookmarks were replaced by Saves: Bookmarks have evolved into Saves.

In SEDE, bookmarks were stored in the votes table. They were stored with VoteTypeId=5 and the user was included in the table (unlike, for example, upvotes and downvotes).1

Saves are technically not votes - so they are different from this viewpoint.2

Since the data about bookmarks was available in SEDE, it is natural to ask:

  • Will the information about Saves be somehow stored in SEDE?
  • The old bookmarks are supposed to be removed from SEDE right?
  • When checking SEDE, I can still see some bookmarks. The ones that are still in SEDE remained there as a consequence of some bug?3

1The details about the Votes table can be found here: Database schema documentation for the public data dump and SEDE. (Just in case, I will include a link to the current revision of the relevant answer, too.)

2 According to this comment: "The Saves feature is it's own architecture separate from all of that (unlike Bookmarks which were technically just votes)."

3I get some entries with VoteTypeId=5 - but they are definitely much fewer than there used to be. For example, if I simply list all votes of this type I get 150 results on SO - which is definitely much fewer than there used to be. Similarly if I try various SEDE queries related to my posts, I do not see there the same bookmarks that were displayed before. So it is clear that there already was at least some clean-up. (For example, if I try the query from here: I want to see who marked my questions as favorites. Or some other queries using checking votes with VoteTypeId=5 - for example just trying to list my own bookmarks.)

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  • 2
    People who have the SE app (not sure if iOS, android, or both) can still bookmark questions, those are the entries you see in SEDE.
    – Shadow Wizard
    Commented Oct 31, 2022 at 9:41
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    @ShadowTheKidWizard So the ones that I got are result of this but: Some users can still create bookmarks.
    – Martin
    Commented Oct 31, 2022 at 9:43
  • @Martin that is correct.
    – Shadow Wizard
    Commented Oct 31, 2022 at 9:53

1 Answer 1

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  • Saves are private by design, putting their details in SEDE would make them public, defeating the privacy they are supposed to have. There is nothing currently recorded in SEDE regarding saves apart from the inferences you can make when badges are awarded.
  • The old bookmarks are supposed to be removed.
  • The old Stack Overflow and Stack Exchange mobile apps can and do still create bookmarks. They will soon stop working and then no more bookmarks.
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  • Actually - I've not tested this myself but the stack exchange mobile app ought to be read only since its stackapps token was revoked.
    – Journeyman Geek
    Commented Oct 31, 2022 at 9:56
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    Concerning the first bullet point - upvotes and downvotes are private too, and they are in SEDE. (Just without identification of the user who voted. And without the exact time - only date.) Moreover, not all information about saves is private - from badges you can see whether a question (answer) was saved 25+ or 100+ times. (Although this is the only publicly available thing I can think of.)
    – Martin
    Commented Oct 31, 2022 at 9:56
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    @Marin then explain in your question what it is from saves that you think has value being public and how that would not affect their general privacy. You may want that to be a different feature-request question.
    – Robert Longson
    Commented Oct 31, 2022 at 9:59
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    @RobertLongson My questions wasn't intended as (feature-request). I am simply asking whether something about saves is (will be) available in SEDE. I suppose that this is something the developers should be able to say. (And I will be fine with whatever they decide. But it would be good to know what the actually is the status of things.) I mentioned upvotes and downvotes simply as an example that SEDE already contains some (sanitized) information about things that are considered private.
    – Martin
    Commented Oct 31, 2022 at 10:15
  • You've asked a support question so no it's not available now. you'd want a feature-request to make something available.
    – Robert Longson
    Commented Oct 31, 2022 at 10:17
  • @JourneymanGeek they disabled posting, sure, and perhaps voting, but I have a feeling bookmarks were skipped, oversight. Easy enough to test, no? ;)
    – Shadow Wizard
    Commented Oct 31, 2022 at 10:46
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    @Robert but how can you be so certain of it? As the OP said, there is data about votes even though they are private.
    – Shadow Wizard
    Commented Oct 31, 2022 at 10:48

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