--- title: Best Practices for Anonymity description: Anonymity tools are designed to enable moderators, judges, and reviewers to evaluate and moderate ideas and solutions impartially. They also allow members to participate openly—by commenting or submitting ideas—without hesitation, concern about retribution, or exposure to real or perceived discrimination based on age, gender, race, organizational role, or other potentially biasing factors. --- [Skip to content](https://help.ideascale.com/best-practices-for-anonymity#main-content) English Show submenu for translations [![IdeaScale](https://help.ideascale.com/hs-fs/hubfs/ideascale-logo.png?width=223&height=31&name=ideascale-logo.png)](https://help.ideascale.com/?hsLang=en) Open main navigation Close main navigation - English Show submenu for translations - [Go to ideascale.com](https://ideascale.com/) [Go to ideascale.com](https://ideascale.com/) Hi!👋 How can we help you today? - There are no suggestions because the search field is empty. 1. [IdeaScale Support Center](https://help.ideascale.com/?hsLang=en) 2. 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[Community Info](https://help.ideascale.com/community-settings-community-configuration?hsLang=en#community-info) # Best Practices for Anonymity ## Anonymous Submissions & Hidden Profiles ***Path: Workspace Homepage >> Navigation Panel >> Settings >> Community >> Community Configuration >> Community Info >> Anonymity*** | What is Anonymity? | | --- | | Anonymity is a set of community and campaign settings that let members participate — by submitting ideas, commenting, voting, and more — without their identity being visible to other members, and let moderators and reviewers evaluate submissions without knowing who submitted them. | Anonymity tools are designed to let moderators, judges, and reviewers evaluate and moderate ideas and solutions impartially, and let members participate openly without hesitation, concern about retribution, or exposure to real or perceived discrimination based on age, gender, race, organizational role, or other potentially biasing factors. IdeaScale offers three anonymity settings that affect how activity appears to participants and moderators. When any type of anonymity is enabled, the member's username is displayed as "Community Member." --- ### Role Permissions 1. **Community Administrator:** Enables and disables Hide My Identity and Force Community-Wide Anonymity at the community level, and enables Submitting Anonymously for Idea Submissions and Comments on a per-campaign basis. Retains access to member identities at all times. 2. **Member:** Can choose to hide their own identity from Personal Settings when Hide My Identity is enabled for the community, and can submit ideas or comments anonymously when Submitting Anonymously is enabled for a campaign. --- **TABLE OF CONTENTS** [Hide My Identity](https://help.ideascale.com/best-practices-anonymous-activity?hsLang=en#hide-identity) [Force Absolute Anonymity](https://help.ideascale.com/best-practices-anonymous-activity?hsLang=en#force) [Anonymous Submissions and Comments](https://help.ideascale.com/best-practices-anonymous-activity?hsLang=en#submit-anonymously) [Exceptions](https://help.ideascale.com/best-practices-for-anonymity#Exceptions) [Frequently Asked Questions](https://help.ideascale.com/best-practices-for-anonymity#FrequentlyAskedQuestions) --- ### **Hide My Identity** Hide My Identity is enabled by a Community Administrator at the community level and hides participant profiles across every campaign within the community. It can be enabled from *Community >> Community Configuration >> Community Info >> Anonymity.* Once enabled at the community level, it gives each Member control over whether to hide their own identity, from *Personal Settings >> Your Communities >> More (3 dots) >> Hide Identity.* **![Screenshot 2024-08-30 at 12-19-50 PM-png.png](https://help.ideascale.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Screenshot%202024-08-30%20at%2012-19-50%20PM-png.png.webp?width=670&height=364&name=Screenshot%202024-08-30%20at%2012-19-50%20PM-png.png.webp)** ***Note: The Hide Identity option is only available to a Member if it has been enabled at the community level. If the option does not appear, it has not been enabled.*** When a Member hides their identity, their avatar picture, first name, and last name are hidden from other Members (the email address is always hidden by default) Disabling this feature removes every Member's ability to hide their identity within the community and reveals names and avatars on all ideas, comments, votes, and community activities where they were previously hidden. --- ### **Force Community-Wide Anonymity** Force Community-Wide Anonymity grants a Community Administrator full control over community-wide anonymity. When enabled, it anonymizes every Member across the community, and individual Members cannot opt out, unlike with Hide My Identity. It can be enabled from *Community >> Community Configuration >> Community Info >> Anonymity.* Disabling the setting reveals Members' names and avatars again on all ideas, comments, votes, and community activities. **[Help Article on Hiding Your Identity/Anonymous Posts](https://help.ideascale.com/hiding-your-identity/anonymous-post?hsLang=en)** When Member identity is hidden, the following areas of the application are affected: **1. Submit Ideas:** The idea submitter's name is hidden. ![Screenshot 2025-07-29 at 12.00.16 PM.png](https://help.ideascale.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Screenshot%202025-07-29%20at%2012.00.16%20PM.png.webp?width=670&height=467&name=Screenshot%202025-07-29%20at%2012.00.16%20PM.png.webp) **2. Submit Comments:** The commenter's name is hidden. ![Screenshot 2025-07-29 at 11.41.56 AM.png](https://help.ideascale.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Screenshot%202025-07-29%20at%2011.41.56%20AM.png.webp?width=670&height=417&name=Screenshot%202025-07-29%20at%2011.41.56%20AM.png.webp) **3. Leaderboard:** A Member who hides their identity does not appear by name on the Leaderboard. ![Screenshot 2025-07-29 at 11.44.15 AM.png](https://help.ideascale.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Screenshot%202025-07-29%20at%2011.44.15%20AM.png.webp?width=670&height=326&name=Screenshot%202025-07-29%20at%2011.44.15%20AM.png.webp) **4. Campaign Sponsor:** The campaign owner's name is hidden if the campaign owner has hidden their identity. ![Screenshot 2025-07-29 at 12.07.57 PM.png](https://help.ideascale.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Screenshot%202025-07-29%20at%2012.07.57%20PM.png.webp?width=670&height=389&name=Screenshot%202025-07-29%20at%2012.07.57%20PM.png.webp) **5. Moderate an Idea:** Moderators can evaluate ideas anonymously. ![Screenshot 2025-07-29 at 12.24.10 PM.png](https://help.ideascale.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Screenshot%202025-07-29%20at%2012.24.10%20PM.png.webp?width=670&height=266&name=Screenshot%202025-07-29%20at%2012.24.10%20PM.png.webp) **6. Submit Vote:** Members can submit votes anonymously on ideas. ![Screenshot 2025-07-29 at 11.40.53 AM.png](https://help.ideascale.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Screenshot%202025-07-29%20at%2011.40.53%20AM.png.webp?width=670&height=324&name=Screenshot%202025-07-29%20at%2011.40.53%20AM.png.webp) **7. Refine Idea:**  Members can answer and edit answers to refinement questions anonymously. ![Screenshot 2025-07-29 at 12.26.30 PM.png](https://help.ideascale.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Screenshot%202025-07-29%20at%2012.26.30%20PM.png.webp?width=670&height=369&name=Screenshot%202025-07-29%20at%2012.26.30%20PM.png.webp) **8. Join a team:** Members can join an idea team anonymously. ![Screenshot 2025-07-29 at 11.36.53 AM.png](https://help.ideascale.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Screenshot%202025-07-29%20at%2011.36.53%20AM.png.webp?width=670&height=329&name=Screenshot%202025-07-29%20at%2011.36.53%20AM.png.webp) **9. Fund an Idea:** Members can contribute funds to an idea anonymously. ![Screenshot 2025-07-29 at 11.57.21 AM.png](https://help.ideascale.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Screenshot%202025-07-29%20at%2011.57.21%20AM.png.webp?width=670&height=415&name=Screenshot%202025-07-29%20at%2011.57.21%20AM.png.webp) **10. Assess idea:**  Members can assess an idea anonymously. ![Screenshot 2025-07-29 at 12.20.37 PM.png](https://help.ideascale.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Screenshot%202025-07-29%20at%2012.20.37%20PM.png.webp?width=589&height=651&name=Screenshot%202025-07-29%20at%2012.20.37%20PM.png.webp) --- ### **Submitting Anonymously** Submitting Anonymously is set by a Community Administrator at the community level and made available to switch on or off within individual campaigns. It can be enabled independently per campaign for two actions: 1. 1. Idea Submissions: Enabled from Community >> Campaigns >> Edit campaign >> Submission Form >> Submit Idea Anonymously. 2. Comments: Enabled from Community >> Campaigns >> Edit campaign >> Settings >> Comments >> Allow Anonymous Commenting. Once either setting is enabled for a campaign, a Member can choose to submit an idea or comment anonymously. A Community Administrator can also choose to Force Community-Wide Anonymity instead, which removes the Member's ability to opt in or out. ![Screenshot 2026-06-17 at 2.05.33 PM](https://help.ideascale.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Screenshot%202026-06-17%20at%202.05.33%20PM.png?width=670&height=320&name=Screenshot%202026-06-17%20at%202.05.33%20PM.png) Once an idea is submitted anonymously, neither the idea owner nor any other Member can edit the idea to reveal the submitter's name. See Exceptions below for a case where the name is displayed anyway. The Member's avatar picture, first name, and last name are hidden from other Members (the email address is always hidden by default) **Note:** Co-submitters cannot be added for anonymous idea submissions. --- ### Exceptions 1. Private Idea Submission Disabled: If the Private Idea Submission setting is turned off for a campaign, the submitter's name is displayed even though the idea was submitted anonymously. 2. Anonymous Idea/Comment Statistics: Ideas and comments submitted anonymously are not counted in the Member's idea or comment statistics. --- ### Frequently Asked Questions #### What does another Member see in place of a Member's name when anonymity is enabled? The username is displayed as "Community Member" whenever any type of anonymity setting — Hide My Identity, Force Community-Wide Anonymity, or Submitting Anonymously — is in effect for that Member's activity. #### Can a Community Administrator see who submitted an anonymous idea or comment? Yes. A Community Administrator retains access to user data and identities within the application at all times, regardless of which anonymity settings are enabled for Members. #### Can a Member opt out of Force Community-Wide Anonymity? No. Unlike Hide My Identity, Force Community-Wide Anonymity is controlled entirely by the Community Administrator, and individual Members cannot opt out while it is enabled. #### Does an anonymously submitted idea ever show the submitter's name later? Yes, in one case. If the Private Idea Submission setting is turned off for the campaign after an idea was submitted anonymously, the submitter's name is displayed. See Exceptions above. #### Can a co-submitter be added to an idea that was submitted anonymously? No. Co-submitters cannot be added to an anonymously submitted idea. --- **Related Articles:** - [Help article on Private ideas](https://help.ideascale.com/private-idea?hsLang=en) - [Help article on Anonymous Ideas and Comment Submission](https://help.ideascale.com/hiding-your-identity/anonymous-post?hsLang=en#SubmitIdeaAnonymously) Last Updated: September 18, 2026   - [Product Updates](https://help.ideascale.com/product-updates?hsLang=en#main-content) - [2026](https://help.ideascale.com/product-updates?hsLang=en#2026) - [2025](https://help.ideascale.com/product-updates?hsLang=en#2025) - [Workspace](https://help.ideascale.com/workspace?hsLang=en#main-content) - [Workspace Homepage](https://help.ideascale.com/workspace?hsLang=en#workspace-homepage) - [Manage Workspace](https://help.ideascale.com/manage-workspace?hsLang=en#main-content) - [Workspace Configuration](https://help.ideascale.com/manage-workspace?hsLang=en#workspace-configuration) - [Email Settings](https://help.ideascale.com/manage-workspace?hsLang=en#email-settings) - 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