# Silenced user can circumvent it entering anonymous mode
**URL:** https://meta.discourse.org/t/silenced-user-can-circumvent-it-entering-anonymous-mode/320052
**Category:** Bug
**Tags:** moderation, anonymous-mode
**Created:** [August 4, 2024, 1:08pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/silenced-user-can-circumvent-it-entering-anonymous-mode/320052 "2024-08-04T13:08:47Z")
**Posts on this page:** 19
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@ValdikSS](https://meta.discourse.org/u/ValdikSS)
#### Post date: [August 4, 2024, 1:08pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/silenced-user-can-circumvent-it-entering-anonymous-mode/320052/1 "2024-08-04T13:08:47Z")
When the user is silenced, entering anonymous mode allows to post without restrictions.
Discourse 3.3.0.beta6
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### Author:  [@ValdikSS](https://meta.discourse.org/u/ValdikSS)
#### Post date: [August 4, 2024, 1:10pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/silenced-user-can-circumvent-it-entering-anonymous-mode/320052/2 "2024-08-04T13:10:46Z")
Suspending the account which already entered anonymous mode also won’t suspend (or log out) anonymous account.
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### Author:  [@NateDhaliwal](https://meta.discourse.org/u/NateDhaliwal)
#### Post date: [August 4, 2024, 1:10pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/silenced-user-can-circumvent-it-entering-anonymous-mode/320052/3 "2024-08-04T13:10:55Z")
What TL is the silenced user?
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### Author:  [@ValdikSS](https://meta.discourse.org/u/ValdikSS)
#### Post date: [August 4, 2024, 1:11pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/silenced-user-can-circumvent-it-entering-anonymous-mode/320052/4 "2024-08-04T13:11:12Z")
Just tested on TL=1 test user.
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### Author:  [@NateDhaliwal](https://meta.discourse.org/u/NateDhaliwal)
#### Post date: [August 4, 2024, 1:11pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/silenced-user-can-circumvent-it-entering-anonymous-mode/320052/5 "2024-08-04T13:11:57Z")
What is the value for the `anonymous posting allowed groups` setting?
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### Author:  [@ValdikSS](https://meta.discourse.org/u/ValdikSS)
#### Post date: [August 4, 2024, 1:13pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/silenced-user-can-circumvent-it-entering-anonymous-mode/320052/6 "2024-08-04T13:13:10Z")
> [@NateDhaliwal](#):
>
> `anonymous posting allowed groups`
TL=0, everybody.
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### Author:  [@NateDhaliwal](https://meta.discourse.org/u/NateDhaliwal)
#### Post date: [August 4, 2024, 1:14pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/silenced-user-can-circumvent-it-entering-anonymous-mode/320052/7 "2024-08-04T13:14:49Z")
Wow, I’m surprised people won’t abuse it.
Anyway, perhaps try limiting it to a specific group which has everyone? Then remove users if you don’t want them to go anonymous mode?
Or, limit it to TL1, and demote this user to TL0?
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### Author:  [@ValdikSS](https://meta.discourse.org/u/ValdikSS)
#### Post date: [August 4, 2024, 1:15pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/silenced-user-can-circumvent-it-entering-anonymous-mode/320052/8 "2024-08-04T13:15:41Z")
Sure, I can solve the issue. I’m reporting the bug in the engine.
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### Author:  [@NateDhaliwal](https://meta.discourse.org/u/NateDhaliwal)
#### Post date: [August 4, 2024, 1:16pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/silenced-user-can-circumvent-it-entering-anonymous-mode/320052/9 "2024-08-04T13:16:41Z")
I see. I was just providing a workaround.
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### Author:  [@Jagster](https://meta.discourse.org/u/Jagster)
#### Post date: [August 4, 2024, 1:26pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/silenced-user-can-circumvent-it-entering-anonymous-mode/320052/10 "2024-08-04T13:26:03Z")
Easier? long term solution would be disabling anonymous mode from silenced users 🤔
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### Author:  [@pangbo](https://meta.discourse.org/u/pangbo)
#### Post date: [August 5, 2024, 1:02am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/silenced-user-can-circumvent-it-entering-anonymous-mode/320052/12 "2024-08-05T01:02:53Z")
I think this issue could be fixed by adding
`return if user.silenced? || user.suspended?`
to
>
and
>
By the way, I am curious as to why the permission check for `can_post_anonymously` is not implemented within the `Guardian` module.
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### Author:  [@jrgong](https://meta.discourse.org/u/jrgong)
#### Post date: [February 7, 2025, 2:43pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/silenced-user-can-circumvent-it-entering-anonymous-mode/320052/13 "2025-02-07T14:43:22Z")
We are experiencing same issue on 3.4.0beta3. Can anyone confirm that it was fixed in 3.4.0beta4?
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### Author:  [@Jonathan5](https://meta.discourse.org/u/Jonathan5)
#### Post date: [March 26, 2025, 11:24pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/silenced-user-can-circumvent-it-entering-anonymous-mode/320052/14 "2025-03-26T23:24:47Z")
I can confirm that it’s not fixed in 3.5.0.beta2-dev.
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### Author:  [@Jonathan5](https://meta.discourse.org/u/Jonathan5)
#### Post date: [March 29, 2025, 11:14am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/silenced-user-can-circumvent-it-entering-anonymous-mode/320052/15 "2025-03-29T11:14:47Z")
Ideally a user in Anonymous Mode would be subject to all the same restrictions as he would be without being in Anonymous Mode.
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### Author:  [@sam](https://meta.discourse.org/u/sam)
#### Post date: [March 31, 2025, 5:52am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/silenced-user-can-circumvent-it-entering-anonymous-mode/320052/16 "2025-03-31T05:52:31Z")
I think it is fair, @hugh should we put a #pr-welcome on this?
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### Author:  [@hugh](https://meta.discourse.org/u/hugh)
#### Post date: [March 31, 2025, 6:07am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/silenced-user-can-circumvent-it-entering-anonymous-mode/320052/17 "2025-03-31T06:07:49Z")
Sounds good - tag added!
Also looping @osama in here as he very recently did some work on anonymous mode, so he might have some more immediate insight into this.
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### Author:  [@Jonathan5](https://meta.discourse.org/u/Jonathan5)
#### Post date: [April 13, 2025, 8:03pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/silenced-user-can-circumvent-it-entering-anonymous-mode/320052/18 "2025-04-13T20:03:43Z")
TL0 silenced user can create anonymous account which soon becomes TL1, and so for example can use PMs, submit posts, etc (depending on forum TL settings of course).
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### Author:  [@ted](https://meta.discourse.org/u/ted)
#### Post date: [April 23, 2025, 8:39am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/silenced-user-can-circumvent-it-entering-anonymous-mode/320052/19 "2025-04-23T08:39:44Z")
Hello! 👋
We just merged a fix that makes it so that while in anonymous mode, the owner account’s “silenced” status is respected here:
[https://github.com/discourse/discourse/pull/32416](https://github.com/discourse/discourse/pull/32416)
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### Author:  [@sam](https://meta.discourse.org/u/sam)
#### Post date: [June 3, 2025, 6:16am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/silenced-user-can-circumvent-it-entering-anonymous-mode/320052/23 "2025-06-03T06:16:04Z")