# \#anonymization **URL:** https://meta.discourse.org/tag/anonymization/629.md [Latest](https://meta.discourse.org/latest.md) · [Categories](https://meta.discourse.org/categories.md) · [Tags](https://meta.discourse.org/tags.md) --- ## [\`Log anonymizer details\` setting not fully anonymizing usernames](https://meta.discourse.org/t/log-anonymizer-details-setting-not-fully-anonymizing-usernames/387500)
**Author:** [@Moin](https://meta.discourse.org/u/Moin)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [January 21, 2026, 4:21pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/log-anonymizer-details-setting-not-fully-anonymizing-usernames/387500 "2026-01-21T16:21:16Z")
If you have checked a user’s email address before, their username stays in the staff action logs, even if Log anonymizer details is disabled. Steps to reproduce: Disable the Log anonymizer details site setting. Open t… --- ## [User still able to log in after anonymization](https://meta.discourse.org/t/user-still-able-to-log-in-after-anonymization/389673)
**Author:** [@stuwest](https://meta.discourse.org/u/stuwest)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [November 26, 2025, 4:18am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/user-still-able-to-log-in-after-anonymization/389673 "2025-11-26T04:18:20Z")
The moderation team on the Discourse instance I admin received a request from a user who wanted to leave the forum. Specifically, they asked that their account be anonymized and that we remove their ability to log in to … --- ## [Anonymizing Users in Discourse](https://meta.discourse.org/t/anonymizing-users-in-discourse/86929)
**Author:** [@eviltrout](https://meta.discourse.org/u/eviltrout)\ **Replies:** 6\ **Last updated:** [December 11, 2024, 2:13pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/anonymizing-users-in-discourse/86929 "2024-12-11T14:13:58Z")
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… --- ## [Question About Anonymizing Users and GDPR](https://meta.discourse.org/t/question-about-anonymizing-users-and-gdpr/372282)
**Author:** [@Rubi](https://meta.discourse.org/u/Rubi)\ **Replies:** 7\ **Last updated:** [June 30, 2025, 7:41pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/question-about-anonymizing-users-and-gdpr/372282 "2025-06-30T19:41:52Z")
Hi, I would like to ask if the following is true: Anonymization meets GDPR requirements for removal of personal data. Once anonymized, no data remains in the Discourse server to identify who you are or about you. Ar… --- ## [Anonymizing a user account](https://meta.discourse.org/t/anonymizing-a-user-account/314902)
**Author:** [@Discourse](https://meta.discourse.org/u/Discourse)\ **Replies:** 1\ **Last updated:** [November 18, 2024, 5:55pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/anonymizing-a-user-account/314902 "2024-11-18T17:55:20Z")
:bookmark: This guide covers how to anonymize a user account in Discourse. :person\_raising\_hand: Required user level: Administrator or Moderator Anonymizing a user account in Discourse allows you to remove personally… --- ## [Does "Delete User" remove IP addresses from everywhere?](https://meta.discourse.org/t/does-delete-user-remove-ip-addresses-from-everywhere/324912)
**Author:** [@CaptainJ](https://meta.discourse.org/u/CaptainJ)\ **Replies:** 1\ **Last updated:** [September 10, 2024, 12:22pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/does-delete-user-remove-ip-addresses-from-everywhere/324912 "2024-09-10T12:22:59Z")
My site is hosted by Discourse. I deleted users before unchecking “log anonymizer details”. Does Discourse still have a log of their IP addresses somewhere? If so, is there any way for me to delete them or are they just … --- ## [Questions about user anonymization and GDPR](https://meta.discourse.org/t/questions-about-user-anonymization-and-gdpr/299200)
**Author:** [@pitrou](https://meta.discourse.org/u/pitrou)\ **Replies:** 21\ **Last updated:** [March 16, 2024, 4:04pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/questions-about-user-anonymization-and-gdpr/299200 "2024-03-16T16:04:56Z")
Hello, On a public Discourse instance, a user recently requested deletion of their user account, to which a moderator replied by using Discourse’s anonymization feature. However, I quickly noticed that the newly assign… --- ## [Is it possible to anonymize a user only within a specific thread?](https://meta.discourse.org/t/is-it-possible-to-anonymize-a-user-only-within-a-specific-thread/291358)
**Author:** [@Aurora](https://meta.discourse.org/u/Aurora)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [January 11, 2024, 9:35pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/is-it-possible-to-anonymize-a-user-only-within-a-specific-thread/291358 "2024-01-11T21:35:19Z")
In our forum, which focuses on individuals with ADHD, there is a lot of personal and private content shared. According to our rules, users do not have the ability to delete threads to preserve the content for others. How… --- ## [Passwords and custom user fields left as they are after anonymizing an account?](https://meta.discourse.org/t/passwords-and-custom-user-fields-left-as-they-are-after-anonymizing-an-account/276037)
**Author:** [@sebix1](https://meta.discourse.org/u/sebix1)\ **Replies:** 5\ **Last updated:** [July 23, 2023, 8:47am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/passwords-and-custom-user-fields-left-as-they-are-after-anonymizing-an-account/276037 "2023-07-23T08:47:47Z")
Why are the password and custom fields of the anonymized user not deleted/anonymized? --- ## [Can an anonymized user log in?](https://meta.discourse.org/t/can-an-anonymized-user-log-in/276038)
**Author:** [@AquaL1te](https://meta.discourse.org/u/AquaL1te)\ **Replies:** 1\ **Last updated:** [February 15, 2022, 3:55pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/can-an-anonymized-user-log-in/276038 "2022-02-15T15:55:53Z")
What I’m missing in this topic is if an anonymized user can still login. I suppose they can’t since their username and email address has been changed, and thus their password probably as well. But if the user for example… --- ## [Remove profile pages for anonymized users](https://meta.discourse.org/t/remove-profile-pages-for-anonymized-users/214610)
**Author:** [@physixfan](https://meta.discourse.org/u/physixfan)\ **Replies:** 6\ **Last updated:** [January 12, 2022, 7:48am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/remove-profile-pages-for-anonymized-users/214610 "2022-01-12T07:48:00Z")
Currently if a user want to leave a Discourse community, he/she can’t delete everything due to limits of Discourse. The recommended thing to do is to request admins to anonymize the user’s profile. The problem is, some u… --- ## [How to handle an anonymized user wanting to gain access back to their account?](https://meta.discourse.org/t/how-to-handle-an-anonymized-user-wanting-to-gain-access-back-to-their-account/276042)
**Author:** [@Cécile\_Savoie](https://meta.discourse.org/u/C%C3%A9cile_Savoie)\ **Replies:** 13\ **Last updated:** [August 4, 2021, 11:40pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/how-to-handle-an-anonymized-user-wanting-to-gain-access-back-to-their-account/276042 "2021-08-04T23:40:18Z")
If a previously Anonymized user ask to join again, could we replace his Anon12345 handle with a new one so that all his old posts are associated with his account? --- ## [Profile links not updated after anonymizing an user?](https://meta.discourse.org/t/profile-links-not-updated-after-anonymizing-an-user/276039)
**Author:** [@manuel](https://meta.discourse.org/u/manuel)\ **Replies:** 0\ **Last updated:** [July 5, 2021, 8:29am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/profile-links-not-updated-after-anonymizing-an-user/276039 "2021-07-05T08:29:15Z")
Came across this strange detail when anonymizing a user. In an existing post the name was replaced, but the link stayed to the old username, as in: \[@anon14148923\](https://example.com/u/original\_username) And then it s… --- ## [Anonymized account could be seen as active accounts, regarding the current UX](https://meta.discourse.org/t/anonymized-account-could-be-seen-as-active-accounts-regarding-the-current-ux/276040)
**Author:** [@manuel](https://meta.discourse.org/u/manuel)\ **Replies:** 4\ **Last updated:** [January 26, 2021, 7:18pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/anonymized-account-could-be-seen-as-active-accounts-regarding-the-current-ux/276040 "2021-01-26T19:18:42Z")
Also saw that anonymized users can still be messaged, suggesting there’s still someone responding to the profile: --- ## [Anonymizing a user leaves mentions of them as their original username](https://meta.discourse.org/t/anonymizing-a-user-leaves-mentions-of-them-as-their-original-username/276045)
**Author:** [@manuel](https://meta.discourse.org/u/manuel)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [August 21, 2023, 3:04pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/anonymizing-a-user-leaves-mentions-of-them-as-their-original-username/276045 "2023-08-21T15:04:37Z")
We’re having a first request to anonymize an account on our forum and I just tested the effects on a sandbox instance. Username on post and mentioned before anonymizing: After anonymizing: Shouldn’t the mentions… --- ## [Why can't non-developers admins reset the IP field of anonymized accounts?](https://meta.discourse.org/t/why-cant-non-developers-admins-reset-the-ip-field-of-anonymized-accounts/276050)
**Author:** [@Newuser](https://meta.discourse.org/u/Newuser)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [July 23, 2020, 4:18pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/why-cant-non-developers-admins-reset-the-ip-field-of-anonymized-accounts/276050 "2020-07-23T16:18:57Z")
Why is this only available for developers? If the option is there, why not make a button for it? I tried this: cd /var/discourse ./launcher enter app rails c And then user = User.find\_by\_username("username\_of\_the\_use… --- ## [Question about anonymized usernames](https://meta.discourse.org/t/question-about-anonymized-usernames/276047)
**Author:** [@acesoftheace](https://meta.discourse.org/u/acesoftheace)\ **Replies:** 6\ **Last updated:** [December 18, 2019, 8:00pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/question-about-anonymized-usernames/276047 "2019-12-18T20:00:41Z")
Is this user also anonymized since he has the “anon” :roll\_eyes::roll\_eyes: --- ## [Can I anonymize a user via the API?](https://meta.discourse.org/t/can-i-anonymize-a-user-via-the-api/276049)
**Author:** [@op\_ukrop](https://meta.discourse.org/u/op_ukrop)\ **Replies:** 1\ **Last updated:** [November 22, 2019, 2:55pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/can-i-anonymize-a-user-via-the-api/276049 "2019-11-22T14:55:42Z")
Hello. Do we have an opportunity to do this action via API? --- ## [Is it possible to pass anonymize\_ip parameter via http api call to /admin/users/{id}/anonymize method?](https://meta.discourse.org/t/is-it-possible-to-pass-anonymize-ip-parameter-via-http-api-call-to-admin-users-id-anonymize-method/276051)
**Author:** [@Yevhenii\_Baraniuk](https://meta.discourse.org/u/Yevhenii_Baraniuk)\ **Replies:** 1\ **Last updated:** [July 10, 2019, 8:42pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/is-it-possible-to-pass-anonymize-ip-parameter-via-http-api-call-to-admin-users-id-anonymize-method/276051 "2019-07-10T20:42:12Z")
Is it possible to pass anonymize\_ip parameter via http api call to /admin/users/{id}/anonymize method?