Anonymizing a user account

:bookmark: This guide covers how to anonymize a user account in Discourse.

:person_raising_hand: Required user level: Administrator or Moderator

Anonymizing a user account in Discourse allows you to remove personally identifiable information while preserving the user’s posts and contributions. This guide will walk you through the steps to anonymize a user account safely and effectively.

Steps for anonymizing a user account

1. Access the user’s admin page

Navigate to the user’s admin page following the instructions in the Access a User’s Admin Page guide.

2. Anonymize the user account

In the user’s admin page, scroll down to find the “Anonymize User” button.

Click the “Anonymize User” button. A confirmation dialog will appear asking you to confirm the action.

Important considerations

  • Anonymization is irreversible. Make sure you have a good reason to anonymize a user and that you have their consent if required by your policies.
  • While anonymization removes personal information, it does not delete the user’s content.

Note: There is a site setting log_anonymizer_details that determines whether detailed logs are kept when a user is anonymized. If enabled, it will log information about the anonymization process, which can be useful for auditing purposes.

Last edited by @Discourse 2024-07-27T00:27:41Z

Last checked by @maiki 2024-07-27T00:27:56Z

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