The discussion revolves around anonymous posting and replying on a forum. Sil3ntOne inquired about the possibility for normal users to post or reply anonymously, without publicly visible references to their name/account, while allowing staff to see who posted it. Sil3ntOne clarified that anonymous posting should not list the topic/reply on the user’s profile. jomaxro explained that enabling the “allow anonymous posting” site setting allows users to switch to anonymous mode, and staff can link an anonymous account to a user through logs and the database, although it’s not a straightforward process. riking corrected this, stating that staff can quickly link an anonymous account to a user by checking the single admin user page, and that side channels like posting time and writing style can be used to identify users.
Hi,
Is it possible for a normal user to post a new topic or reply anonymously?
P.S. By anonymously I mean without any publicly visible reference to their name / account etc.
It would be ‘ok’ for a staff (mod/admin) to see who posted it but not the normal visitors or registered users.
The trick here, first up, is defining what you mean by “post […] anonymously”. It’s a much more nuanced thing than you might first think, and there are a number of different things people mean by it.
I see your point now Matt.
By anonymously I mean without any publicly visible reference to their name / account etc.
It would be ‘ok’ for a staff (mod/admin) to see who posted it but not the normal visitors or registered users.
It would also not list the posted topic/reply on the user’s profile.
Yes, that is possible. Enable the allow anonymous posting site setting and users can switch to anonymous mode to post without associating it with their user account. Staff can’t quickly link an anonymous account to a user, but could if they wanted to dig into logs and the database. Normal users will not be able to connect the account to a “real” user.
Actually, you can, but it’s logged as a “show email” action. Go to the single admin user page and it shows up where Google / other associated logins would be.
Edit: Of course, side channels (posting time, writing style) can be used, as you see on 4chan etc, but these are mitigated by only using a particular “anonymous account” for a max 24 hour period - once that cycles, the number increments again and you lose public linkage.
Good to know! I’ve never actually used anonymous mode before - just repeating what I’ve heard others say about it.
Awesome! Thanks Joshua, HAWK and Kane for the insightful information.
