Anonymous Comments?

February 4, 2025 9:30 AM

I'm sure this has been discussed before, but the recent Federal Government Workers Thread made me think it might be works revisiting. I would think that anyone actually working in government, who might have a very good perspective to contribute, would be rightfully wary of posting something in a thread where they might be identified. Sure, people have user names that maybe hide their identity, but not always. For the sake of informed dialog it could be good for people to have a way to contribute to a thread anonymously. I realize this is likely a complicated thing to solve for.
posted by brookeb to Feature Requests at 9:30 AM (13 comments total)

Hi!

Currently it's not possible for a member to post a comment anonymously themselves and there are no plans to add that ability. The rationale is that we want people to be known for what they contribute and that's harder to do if people can post anonymously.

That said, if a member does want to add an anon comment, they can email the mods with the comment and what thread it should go in, and we'll post it. Here's an example of that.

Members also have the option of creating a second account, commonly known as a sockpuppet, if they want to post something that isn't connected to their main account. See this FAQ for details .

Finally, if someone wants to post an anonymous question to AskMetaFilter, there is a feature to allow that that doesn't involve contacting the moderators, see this FAQ.
posted by Brandon Blatcher (staff) at 9:41 AM on February 4 [3 favorites]

I don't think we should allow anonymous comments in general, but it seems reasonable to allow them at least on anonymous Asks, where there is a good likelihood that if the OP has reason to remain anonymous, commenters would as well, and maybe on specific FPPs like the one referenced here (perhaps the poster could specify that anonymous comments are allowed or mods could designate such posts).
posted by ssg at 10:44 AM on February 4 [2 favorites]

Members also have the option of creating a second account, commonly known as a sockpuppet, if they want to post something that isn't connected to their main account.

During the crisis, could free sockpuppets be offered to federal employees (or others directly impacted)?
posted by mittens at 10:47 AM on February 4 [3 favorites]

I think a sentence or two on basic security protocol would be prudent. Brandon's comment to email, to the relevant party which will be reposted under an anonymous account is viable and workable. but let us take the case where that person does not want to email the mods with comment. perhaps a special anonymous account could be created either to by the mods or someone trusted within the organization with a strong password and this could be requested through email which I just really defeated my purpose.... the sock puppet account would be best as the end user would have more control of the account and limitation of the information provided therein.

whew.
posted by clavdivs at 2:14 PM on February 4 [1 favorite]

Jesus. I am sick that this is where we are and grateful for everyone thinking of ways to support each other.
posted by yes I said yes I will Yes at 3:13 PM on February 4 [9 favorites]

Mod note: During the crisis, could free sockpuppets be offered to federal employees (or others directly impacted)?

We have no way to identify who is a federal employee and we don't want that ability, so we won't be offering free sock puppets (and that's not money issue, accounts are not a source of income). If people are worried about protecting their identity, the best option is the "reach out to us and we'll post it for you" option.

Keep in mind that the site still uses IP addresses and has weblogs, so there's no way for the site to offer anything close to complete anonymity. That's not us being scary or paranoid, just want to be upfront about what is and isn't possible.
posted by Brandon Blatcher (staff) at 4:03 PM on February 4 [1 favorite]

Reminder that if you personally know a federal worker and want them to have a free MetaFilter account, you can give them a gift account for free. However you will need to provide an email address to give the account to.
posted by brainwane at 4:43 PM on February 4 [6 favorites]

In that vein, InfoSec for Activists is important reading for anyone organizing online.
posted by tommasz at 5:47 AM on February 5 [3 favorites]

There are places where people can post anonymously. I don't think Metafilter has to cover every use case (nor do I trust us to handle every use case well).
posted by tofu_crouton at 7:05 AM on February 5 [5 favorites]

MetaFilter does not have the resources to guarantee and protect the anonymity of users. I know it's bizarre and alarmist to think some malicious authority would even notice this crazy l'il community blog, but then again, these are bizarre and alarming times.
posted by Alvy Ampersand at 7:28 AM on February 5 [3 favorites]

(and that's not money issue, accounts are really a source of income)

This was intended to say "not really a source of income," right?
posted by nobody at 8:06 AM on February 5 [1 favorite]

Yes, my bad! Fixed!
posted by Brandon Blatcher (staff) at 10:19 AM on February 5 [1 favorite]

I just tested this and it's possible to use the gift account page to send an account to an e-mail address at 10minutemail.com. Click the link before the ten minutes are up and you'll be able to claim a new account. Obviously, the ten minute limit does not apply to the MetaFilter account.

(You'd have trouble restoring the account if you ever forgot the password, I suppose, but for an anonymous comment that doesn't seem like a problem.)
posted by one-more-octopus at 12:17 PM on February 5 [1 favorite]