# I am getting 502 error while trying to delete topics created by specific user **URL:** https://meta.discourse.org/t/i-am-getting-502-error-while-trying-to-delete-topics-created-by-specific-user/261161 **Category:** Support **Created:** [April 10, 2023, 9:31am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/i-am-getting-502-error-while-trying-to-delete-topics-created-by-specific-user/261161 "2023-04-10T09:31:52Z") **Posts on this page:** 1 **Showing post:** 4
### Author: ![southpaw](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/meta/user_avatar/meta.discourse.org/southpaw/32/79352_2.png) [@southpaw](https://meta.discourse.org/u/southpaw) #### Post date: [April 10, 2023, 6:11pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/i-am-getting-502-error-while-trying-to-delete-topics-created-by-specific-user/261161/4 "2023-04-10T18:11:39Z")
> [@Yogesh\_g](#): > > Can you please explain how anonymizing users works, would it make all posts hidden for all other users? No, it doesn’t hide the posts; it removes the username. It’s a good solution at times when the user asks to have his account deleted, because it preserves the content, keeping the topics in your community intact, while making that content anonymous, so no one knows who wrote it. It is described fully, here: > [@Anonymizing Users in Discourse](https://meta.discourse.org/t/anonymizing-users-in-discourse/86929): > > If you want to permanently remove a user from your community, but also preserve their contributions to Discourse, you can anonymize that user. How do I anonymize a user? At the bottom of a user’s admin page, there is an “Anonymize User” button: You’ll be asked to confirm. If you agree, the user will be anonymized. How thorough is the anonymization? The user will no longer be able to log in to your community as this specific account. A new username will be randomly assigned to t… > [@Yogesh\_g](#): > > Is there any way I can access the database I am using discourse hosting ? If you have a hosted site, it might be best to let the Discourse team assist. --- _[View the full topic](https://meta.discourse.org/t/i-am-getting-502-error-while-trying-to-delete-topics-created-by-specific-user/261161)._