# Why are email addresses hidden behind a "show" button in admin?
**URL:** https://meta.discourse.org/t/why-are-email-addresses-hidden-behind-a-show-button-in-admin/29877
**Category:** Support
**Created:** [11 يونيو 2015، 4:52ص UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/why-are-email-addresses-hidden-behind-a-show-button-in-admin/29877 "2015-06-11T04:52:21Z")
**Posts on this page:** 16
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@watchmanmonitor](https://meta.discourse.org/u/watchmanmonitor)
#### Post date: [11 يونيو 2015، 4:52ص UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/why-are-email-addresses-hidden-behind-a-show-button-in-admin/29877/1 "2015-06-11T04:52:21Z")
When I am working in the admin, it would be great to see all a user’s info on their page.
I see their username, and if I click a button I can see their email address, then if I go to their Public Profile, I can see their full name.
Why isn’t this all on the admin view of a user, in plain sight?
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### Author:  [@kensims](https://meta.discourse.org/u/kensims)
#### Post date: [11 يونيو 2015، 12:43م UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/why-are-email-addresses-hidden-behind-a-show-button-in-admin/29877/2 "2015-06-11T12:43:34Z")
I’m vetting a new user, even though what I log is the date, IP address, username, email address, and full name, I also need to see if they put anything spammy in the website or bio, so unless **all** of that is going to be available on the admin page (which seems unreasonable to me), I’m going to need to visit their public profile anyway. So I personally don’t see that aspect as a big deal.
As for the extra click to see the email address (and the fact that showing an email address gets logged), it seems to me that the rationale was discussed, but I couldn’t find it in a quick search.
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### Author:  [@downey](https://meta.discourse.org/u/downey)
#### Post date: [11 يونيو 2015، 1:18م UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/why-are-email-addresses-hidden-behind-a-show-button-in-admin/29877/3 "2015-06-11T13:18:54Z")
Admins viewing a user’s email address an audited event in the logs, which is the reason I think for the extra click.
Now, if we could only get that level of accountability for admins snooping around in users’ “private” messages… 😉
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### Author:  [@watchmanmonitor](https://meta.discourse.org/u/watchmanmonitor)
#### Post date: [11 يونيو 2015، 1:20م UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/why-are-email-addresses-hidden-behind-a-show-button-in-admin/29877/4 "2015-06-11T13:20:20Z")
In that case @kensims, I’d be voting for all that to be on the admin, and forward/next buttons to go from one user to the next in the admin.
@downey if it really is about accountability.. then an option for “I don’t care if these are looked at” would be great, especially since they are just an export away.
In fact, I think Ill just start exporting more often, and doing my auditing there.. not as nice as in the admin area directly but let’s the Team get on to bigger fish..
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### Author:  [@kensims](https://meta.discourse.org/u/kensims)
#### Post date: [11 يونيو 2015، 2:50م UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/why-are-email-addresses-hidden-behind-a-show-button-in-admin/29877/5 "2015-06-11T14:50:43Z")
We average probably around one new user every 3-4 days, so no biggie for me. But if you get multiple new users per day I can see how the current situation becomes much more of an issue.
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### Author:  [@watchmanmonitor](https://meta.discourse.org/u/watchmanmonitor)
#### Post date: [11 يونيو 2015، 2:52م UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/why-are-email-addresses-hidden-behind-a-show-button-in-admin/29877/6 "2015-06-11T14:52:52Z")
yeah.. I just had to add/review 100 users yesterday, and expect another batch of 100 in a few weeks.
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### Author:  [@kensims](https://meta.discourse.org/u/kensims)
#### Post date: [11 يونيو 2015، 3:00م UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/why-are-email-addresses-hidden-behind-a-show-button-in-admin/29877/7 "2015-06-11T15:00:05Z")
> [@watchmanmonitor](#):
>
> I just had to add/review 100 users yesterday
Ouch. ☹
I don’t think we’ve ever had that many new users even when we’ve had a big influx from The Seasteading Institute being mentioned in a popular news source.
It sounds like exporting may well be your best option.
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### Author:  [@DeanMarkTaylor](https://meta.discourse.org/u/DeanMarkTaylor)
#### Post date: [11 يونيو 2015، 4:12م UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/why-are-email-addresses-hidden-behind-a-show-button-in-admin/29877/8 "2015-06-11T16:12:09Z")
There is the option `moderators_view_emails`:
It would make sense for it to also show in admin if it’s being shown in on the users profile to staff.
Although in a simple test toggling the option didn’t work for me in `v1.4.0.beta1 +34`…
… it might need a `./launcher restart app` to kick in - but you would need to test that.
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### Author:  [@downey](https://meta.discourse.org/u/downey)
#### Post date: [11 يونيو 2015، 4:24م UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/why-are-email-addresses-hidden-behind-a-show-button-in-admin/29877/9 "2015-06-11T16:24:12Z")
> [@DeanMarkTaylor](#):
>
> There is the option show email on profile:
This always seemed like a strange setting. Why would I need to display my own email address on my own profile for my own self (and maybe admins)? It would make more sense if it were displayed publicly, but I already know my own email address. 😄
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### Author:  [@watchmanmonitor](https://meta.discourse.org/u/watchmanmonitor)
#### Post date: [11 يونيو 2015، 4:28م UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/why-are-email-addresses-hidden-behind-a-show-button-in-admin/29877/10 "2015-06-11T16:28:14Z")
> [@DeanMarkTaylor](#):
>
> There is the option show email on profile:
I have that enabled, still have to click “show” every time.
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### Author:  [@DeanMarkTaylor](https://meta.discourse.org/u/DeanMarkTaylor)
#### Post date: [11 يونيو 2015، 5:10م UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/why-are-email-addresses-hidden-behind-a-show-button-in-admin/29877/11 "2015-06-11T17:10:48Z")
> [@DeanMarkTaylor](#):
>
> There is the option show email on profile:
> [@watchmanmonitor](#):
>
> I have that enabled, still have to click “show” every time.
That would seem like a bug then - at least to me.
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### Author:  [@riking](https://meta.discourse.org/u/riking)
#### Post date: [11 يونيو 2015، 5:19م UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/why-are-email-addresses-hidden-behind-a-show-button-in-admin/29877/12 "2015-06-11T17:19:36Z")
> [@watchmanmonitor](#):
>
> Why isn’t this all on the admin view of a user, in plain sight?
Because people were complaining about the accidental information disclosure.
> [@Staff should not see user profile email addresses without a click](https://meta.discourse.org/t/staff-should-not-see-user-profile-email-addresses-without-a-click/18871):
>
> Continuing the discussion from [Last post versus seen timestamps](https://meta.discourse.org/t/last-post-versus-seen-timestamps/18856/6): I agree with this. Staff shouldn’t see emails unless they explicitly click to expand the email (e.g. they need to see it for some reason) and this action should be logged in Admin / Logs / Staff. Would happily accept a community PR in this area.
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### Author:  [@watchmanmonitor](https://meta.discourse.org/u/watchmanmonitor)
#### Post date: [11 يونيو 2015، 6:40م UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/why-are-email-addresses-hidden-behind-a-show-button-in-admin/29877/13 "2015-06-11T18:40:07Z")
I don’t see any bug here, only things which might be done/differently.
I would love if `show email on profile:` were expanded to the admin page. That would satisfy my OP quite well.
Then if this were carried out, I’d have to spend a _lot_ less time on each person.
> [@Wish I could edit a user's full name from admin](https://meta.discourse.org/t/wish-i-could-edit-a-users-full-name-from-admin/26506):
>
> Related to [Change full name in profile](https://meta.discourse.org/t/change-full-name-in-profile/13696): At the moment, in order adjust many users to meet new requirements, I need to visit the Admin page to set a title, and the user’s page (as admin) to edit their full name. I’d love to see Full Name on the admin page, and editable, please.
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### Author:  [@Mittineague](https://meta.discourse.org/u/Mittineague)
#### Post date: [11 يونيو 2015، 6:58م UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/why-are-email-addresses-hidden-behind-a-show-button-in-admin/29877/14 "2015-06-11T18:58:01Z")
> [@riking](#):
>
> Because people were complaining about the accidental information disclosure.
That may hold true for _Staff_ but IMHO the decision to not show email addresses and IPs to _Moderators_ was a big step back for moderation effort and a big plus for making things easier for problem accounts.
> [@kensims](#):
>
> I also need to see if they put anything spammy in the website or bio,
Some info can be inserted via a browser extension eg.
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### Author:  [@system](https://meta.discourse.org/u/system)
#### Post date: [13 أكتوبر 2018، 7:11م UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/why-are-email-addresses-hidden-behind-a-show-button-in-admin/29877/15 "2018-10-13T19:11:23Z")
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### Author:  [@system](https://meta.discourse.org/u/system)
#### Post date: [5 يوليو 2021، 6:23ص UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/why-are-email-addresses-hidden-behind-a-show-button-in-admin/29877/16 "2021-07-05T06:23:47Z")