IP addresses are only PII if you are able to actually use them identify an individual.
> The CJEU decided that a dynamic IP address will be personal data in the hands of a website operator if:
there is another party (such as an ISP) that can link the dynamic IP address to the identity of an individual; and
the website operator has a "legal means" of obtaining access to the information held by the ISP in order to identify the individual. [1]
So once the account info is deleted, that link is broken. This another piece of DP legislation that has been subject to a great deal of FUD since most of the headlines just went with ‘court confirms IP address are PII’ and omitted ‘in some cases’. TBH, this was already pretty explicitly obvious from the legislation defining Personally Identifiable Information (hint: clue’s in the name).
> The CJEU decided that a dynamic IP address will be personal data in the hands of a website operator if:
there is another party (such as an ISP) that can link the dynamic IP address to the identity of an individual; and the website operator has a "legal means" of obtaining access to the information held by the ISP in order to identify the individual. [1]
So once the account info is deleted, that link is broken. This another piece of DP legislation that has been subject to a great deal of FUD since most of the headlines just went with ‘court confirms IP address are PII’ and omitted ‘in some cases’. TBH, this was already pretty explicitly obvious from the legislation defining Personally Identifiable Information (hint: clue’s in the name).
[1] https://www.whitecase.com/publications/alert/court-confirms-...