Make "Keep my email addresses private" configurable per-organization (or per-repo-visibility)

[mariobob]

🏷️ Discussion Type

Product Feedback

💬 Feature/Topic Area

Profile

Body

Problem

"Keep my email addresses private" and "Block command-line pushes that expose my email" are account-global switches. This forces an all-or-nothing choice for users who operate in mixed contexts:

• In some organizations, real email addresses on commits are expected/required.
• For personal and public open-source work, I want my real address kept private.

Because the setting is global, I have to leave privacy off to satisfy org norms, which then leaves my real email exposed on public contributions. This exact scenario just bit me: a maintainer squash-merged my PR via the web UI, and GitHub picked my account's primary email instead of the noreply address used in the PR commits, publishing my personal email in a public commit. My spam volume has since increased.

Requested enhancement (in order of preference)

1. Per-organization email-privacy override — let me set the global default to "private," and opt specific orgs into using a chosen real address. (Org membership context already exists; email visibility could hang off it.)
2. Privacy scoped by repository visibility — always enforce noreply/privacy on public repos, allow real email on private repos. This alone would have prevented my exposure, since orgs where I use a real address have private repos anyway.
3. Enforce noreply on web-UI squash/rebase merges when the source commits already use a noreply address — don't "upgrade" a PR's noreply commits to the author's primary email during squash. Arguably a bug regardless of the setting.

Why per-visibility (option 2) may be the cleanest

It requires no per-org UI, matches the actual risk boundary (public = scrapeable), and covers the common case (real email is fine inside private org repos). It's a strong default even without full per-org granularity.

Any of these would let contributors participate in orgs that want real emails without leaking their personal address on public open-source contributions.

[github-actions[bot]]

💬 Your Product Feedback Has Been Submitted 🎉

Thank you for taking the time to share your insights with us! Your feedback is invaluable as we build a better GitHub experience for all our users.

Here's what you can expect moving forward ⏩

• Your input will be carefully reviewed and cataloged by members of our product teams. 
  • Due to the high volume of submissions, we may not always be able to provide individual responses.
  • Rest assured, your feedback will help chart our course for product improvements.
• Other users may engage with your post, sharing their own perspectives or experiences. 
• GitHub staff may reach out for further clarification or insight. 
  • We may 'Answer' your discussion if there is a current solution, workaround, or roadmap/changelog post related to the feedback.

Where to look to see what's shipping 👀

• Read the Changelog for real-time updates on the latest GitHub features, enhancements, and calls for feedback.
• Explore our Product Roadmap, which details upcoming major releases and initiatives.

What you can do in the meantime 💻

• Upvote and comment on other user feedback Discussions that resonate with you.
• Add more information at any point! Useful details include: use cases, relevant labels, desired outcomes, and any accompanying screenshots.

As a member of the GitHub community, your participation is essential. While we can't promise that every suggestion will be implemented, we want to emphasize that your feedback is instrumental in guiding our decisions and priorities.

Thank you once again for your contribution to making GitHub even better! We're grateful for your ongoing support and collaboration in shaping the future of our platform. ⭐