# Are usernames ever auto-generated?

**URL:** <https://meta.discourse.org/t/are-usernames-ever-auto-generated/416628>\
**Category:** Product Support\
**Tags:** spam\
**Created:** [November 5, 2026, 1:38pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/are-usernames-ever-auto-generated/416628 "2026-11-05T13:38:48Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

## AI-generated summary

[szhorvat](/t/-/416628/1) seeks confirmation that unusual usernames found on their low-activity forum are not auto-generated by Discourse, fearing the accidental deletion of legitimate accounts amidst a wave of AI spam. The user notes that while these accounts have readable "names," their "usernames" appear suspicious and belong to unconfirmed users who have not posted. [putty](/t/-/416628/2) confirms that these accounts are indeed spam, referencing a [previous discussion](https://meta.discourse.org/t/new-users-that-have-never-been-seen-or-activated/416360?u=putty) on the issue. Putty also suggests that the platform should consider a more robust solution to address the growing frequency of such spam and bot activity.

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![szhorvat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/meta/user_avatar/meta.discourse.org/szhorvat/32/154711_2.png) [@szhorvat](https://meta.discourse.org/u/szhorvat)\
**Post date:** [November 5, 2026, 1:38pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/are-usernames-ever-auto-generated/416628/1 "2026-11-05T13:38:48Z")

</div>

**tl;dr Can someone confirm that the usernames shown below are not Discourse-generated (so they’re likely spam accounts)?**

We have a low activity forum that got a wave of AI spam and bot activity that I am struggling to clean up. There are many new accounts that are unconfirmed and haven’t posted. Some of them have “unusual” usernames:

 ![image](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/meta/original/4X/3/a/3/3a36f152f49494f1b565b2c197bfb90c69117746.png)

They do, however, have readable “names”, just not “usernames”.

**Can someone please confirm that Discourse will never auto-generate such usernames, so that I can ensure I don’t accidentally delete legitimate users?** It’s been a long time since I signed up for any Discourse forum so I no longer remember the process.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![putty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/meta/user_avatar/meta.discourse.org/putty/32/370902_2.png) [@putty](https://meta.discourse.org/u/putty)\
**Post date:** [November 5, 2026, 1:50pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/are-usernames-ever-auto-generated/416628/2 "2026-11-05T13:50:08Z")

</div>

They’re spam. [See the discussion here](https://meta.discourse.org/t/new-users-that-have-never-been-seen-or-activated/416360).

At this rate I really think a greater solution should be considered by the platform.