# Utilise permanent account identifiers, rather than usernames, for hyperlink referee attribution

**URL:** https://meta.discourse.org/t/utilise-permanent-account-identifiers-rather-than-usernames-for-hyperlink-referee-attribution/409277
**Category:** Feature
**Created:** [August 4, 2026, 3:53pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/utilise-permanent-account-identifiers-rather-than-usernames-for-hyperlink-referee-attribution/409277 "2026-08-04T15:53:55Z")
**Posts on this page:** 3
**Page:** 1

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### Author: ![roke\_julian\_lockhart](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/meta/user_avatar/meta.discourse.org/roke_julian_lockhart/32/540179_2.png) [@roke\_julian\_lockhart](https://meta.discourse.org/u/roke_julian_lockhart)
#### Post date: [August 4, 2026, 3:53pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/utilise-permanent-account-identifiers-rather-than-usernames-for-hyperlink-referee-attribution/409277/1 "2026-08-04T15:53:55Z")

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When a user modifies their username, all hyperlinks that they have distributed become, thereafter, inaccurately attributed to whomever else decides to utilise that username. Even if that does not occur, it means that all telemetry provided by that argument is rendered useless, for it no longer references the actual referee.

An example is `https://meta.discourse.org/t/70952/2?u=roke_julian_lockhart`, \[1\] which _should_ be `https://meta.discourse.org/t/70952/2?u=129529`, for it to remain active across username replacements.

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1. [`t/409276`](https://meta.discourse.org/t/allow-accessing-user-information-via-the-users-permanent-identifier/409276)

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### Author: ![pfaffman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/meta/user_avatar/meta.discourse.org/pfaffman/32/120154_2.png) [@pfaffman](https://meta.discourse.org/u/pfaffman)
#### Post date: [August 4, 2026, 4:33pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/utilise-permanent-account-identifiers-rather-than-usernames-for-hyperlink-referee-attribution/409277/2 "2026-08-04T16:33:56Z")

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The traditional solution has been not to let people change their username after a brief period of time. The workaround is to update all links to the username if they do change it.

Do you have a community where it’s important for users to frequently and continually change their usernames?

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### Author: ![roke\_julian\_lockhart](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/meta/user_avatar/meta.discourse.org/roke_julian_lockhart/32/540179_2.png) [@roke\_julian\_lockhart](https://meta.discourse.org/u/roke_julian_lockhart)
#### Post date: [August 4, 2026, 10:09pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/utilise-permanent-account-identifiers-rather-than-usernames-for-hyperlink-referee-attribution/409277/3 "2026-08-04T22:09:26Z")

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> [@pfaffman](#):
>
> The traditional solution has been not to let people change their username after a brief period of time.

@pfaffman, what does that solve?

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> [@pfaffman](#):
>
> The workaround is to update all links to the username if they do change it.

This does not occur to URIs that have not been posted on the platform, because that is impossible. Additionally, why waste CPU cycles to replace them? \[1\]

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> [@pfaffman](#):
>
> Do you have a community where it’s important for users to frequently and continually change their usernames?

Currently, not particularly so. Though, I participate in some that appear to permit this.

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1. [`gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/work_items/609288`](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/work_items/609288)