特定のユーザーが作成したトピックを削除しようとすると、502エラーが発生します

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:

If you have a hosted site, it might be best to let the Discourse team assist.

「いいね!」 3