About Anonymous Discussions
- Participants in an anonymous discussion are not able to view the real usernames or avatars of other participants. Instead, all participants are assigned a randomized “color and animal” username & avatar combination, such as “Purple Butterfly”.
- Discussion admins are able to view the “real” usernames of all participants in the discussion (see here).
- Participants in an anonymous discussion are informed of their newly assigned username upon entering the discussion for the first time.
- Once a discussion is anonymized, it cannot be reverted back to a standard discussion.
- Students can theoretically work out the identity of another participants, such as if they reveal any personally identifiable information a comment or in the discussion chat.
Tip: You may wish to remind students that as discussion Admins, teachers/educators are able to view the real usernames of all participants.
How to Anonymize an Existing Discussion
Note: Only discussion Admins can anonymize a discussion.
Reminder: Standard Participation discussions can be converted to Anonymous Participation discussions, however this change cannot be reverted.
To anonymize an existing discussion:
- Click the ≡ (three horizontal lines) button in the top-left of the discussion.
- Open the Discussion Settings.
- Scroll down to the Anonymous Participation section and click Change Participation Type.
- Select Anonymous Participation, then click Save.
To anonymize a new discussion, select the relevant option while creating a discussion.
Viewing Real Identities in Anonymous Discussion

Note: Only discussion Admins are able to view the real usernames of users in an anonymous discussion.
To view the real usernames of participants in an anonymous discussion:
- Click the ≡ (three horizontal lines) button in the top-left of the discussion.
- Open the Discussion Settings.
- Scroll down to the Anonymous Participation section and click List Deanonymized Users.