Disabling an account

We're sad to see you go! While 'deleting' an account is not possible due to the way MediaWiki works, it is possible to disable an account and there are a few ways to do that. Disabling an account will disable access to it globally but note that it will not delete any pages, edits, or wikis you've created nor will it scrub your old username from individual edits where your username is mentioned or remove your contributions from wikis.

Locking your account
The easiest option to disable an account is requesting a global lock. While your account is locked, you will not be able to login and users will not be able to send you emails nor will you receive any notifications or other emails. Your account will appear as disabled to users when checking pages such as your contributions, log pages, your global account lookup, among other places.

To request a lock, please make a new thread on the Stewards' noticeboard while logged in with the account you wish be locked. Your request will then be processed as soon as a Steward or Global Sysop can action it. To request your account be unlocked, you'll need to email Stewards.

Vanishes
Vanishes involve disabling your account via a global lock and also renaming it to something else. There are two types of global vanishes, reversible and irreversible. Both are handled by different departments so contacting someone other than the department listed below will result in delays.

Reversible vanishes
A reversible vanish is a combination of a global lock and a global rename. When you request a reversible vanish, your account will be globally locked and on top of that, it will also be renamed across all wikis to "Vanished user" followed by a random string of letters and numbers.

As your account will be locked, you will not be able to login to your account anymore and you will be unable to receive email correspondence and notifications. Your account will appear as "Vanished user" on logs and users will not be able to find your old user account if they try to manually navigate to your user page via your username. If wikis you manage have multiple contributors but you are the lone administrator and/or bureaucrat, please make sure to promote others to this position to prevent your wiki from lacking local administrators while you're away or else users will need to seek Stewards to do some advanced tasks like promoting/demoting admins in your stead following local elections, ManageWiki changes and more.

To request a reversible vanish, please make a thread on the Stewards' noticeboard or email stewards@undefinedmiraheze.org. If you choose the latter, you must email them from an email attached to the account or else your request may be denied. If you ever wish to return to Miraheze, simply email Stewards to request the account be unlocked and renamed to your old username.

Permanent vanishes
In accordance with the Data Protection Act 2018 in the United Kingdom, Miraheze offers permanent vanishes which removes most of your personal information from an account, in accordance with the Data Protection Act, and also renames it. Much like a reversible vanish, a permanent vanish locks your account and renames it but this type of vanish renames your account to "MirahezeGDPR" followed by a random string of letters and numbers.

As with reversible vanishes, your account will enjoy all the benefits of being locked but unlike a reversible vanish, this type of vanish is permanent and irreversible. You will not be able to restore this account in the future nor will you be able to have the old account's edits and edit count reassigned to any new account you create. If you have a personal or small wiki, please tell us what you want us to do with it before your account is vanished or otherwise, we may not be able to verify the authenticity of your request to close the wiki at a later date. If your wiki is larger and has multiple contributors but no bureaucrat or administrator other than you, please make sure to grant someone on there those user rights before requesting a vanish or else the wiki will no longer have any administrators and users will need to contact Stewards to effectuate some things like local elections and ManageWiki changes.

As mentioned on the top of the page, no method on here, including a permanent vanish, will remove your contributions, edits, or pages from a wiki nor will it scrub every mention of your username or person from a wiki. When contributing to a wiki, you agree to the copyright license on that wiki. Most wikis on Miraheze are licensed under the copyleft Creative Commons license which means you release all your edits for redistribution and usage by anyone and also that proper attribution must be given to the person who made the edit. If you wish to have your contributions removed from a wiki, please contact that wiki's administration prior to requesting a permanent vanish.

To request a permanent vanish, please file a request in TSPortal with the Department of Trust and Safety. Please do not email Trust and Safety as your request will be declined if you do not use TSPortal. Permanent vanishes cannot be requested to Stewards or on the Stewards' noticeboard so please use TSPortal only to request a permanent vanish. Vanish requests may take a while to process so please be patient and do not submit multiple requests. If you ever wish to return to Miraheze, you will need to create a new account.