Privacy option: Disable storage of IP addresses

[mastuser]

Mastodon appears to log the full user IP addresses (last address in use).

In order to comply with German privacy law and to allow for anonymous use by activists, could you please create an option to disable the storage of IP addresses (possibly making it default)?

Privacy is why many people decide to use Mastodon over Twitter. We wouldn't want a case like this.

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• I searched or browsed the repo’s other issues to ensure this is not a duplicate.
• This bug happens on a tagged release and not on master (If you're a user, don't worry about this).

[Openmedianetwork]

nice to have an option to keep it for a set time as well as not save it at all.

[Openmedianetwork]

nice to have an option to keep it for a set time as well as not save it at all.

[bortzmeyer]

A case of the police asking data from a Mastodon instance is http://www.laquadrature.net/en/node/10335 (in french only)

[bortzmeyer]

A case of the police asking data from a Mastodon instance is http://www.laquadrature.net/en/node/10335 (in french only)

[bortzmeyer]

Another possibility would be to retain only a prefix (of configurable length) of the IP address. Many programs allow to do so, such as the Web cache Squid.

[bortzmeyer]

Another possibility would be to retain only a prefix (of configurable length) of the IP address. Many programs allow to do so, such as the Web cache Squid.

[Technowix]

Keeping a prefix would be a cool compromise :o
It's useful if we want to quickly check for people making multiple accounts in order to harass 😕

[Technowix]

Keeping a prefix would be a cool compromise :o
It's useful if we want to quickly check for people making multiple accounts in order to harass 😕

[hellekin]

People who want to harass on the Web know how to use VPNs or botnets.

[hellekin]

People who want to harass on the Web know how to use VPNs or botnets.

[Technowix]

So let go those who aren't?
IP prefix isn't legally able to inculpate someone of something, it just help modération :/

[Technowix]

So let go those who aren't?
IP prefix isn't legally able to inculpate someone of something, it just help modération :/

[hellekin]

Well, theoretically...

[hellekin]

Well, theoretically...

[mastuser]

If you choose to implement anonymization by truncation of IP addresses, please note that for effective anonymization, German DPAs require

• truncation of the last 2 Byte of IPv4 addresses
• truncation of the last 12 Byte of IPv6 addresses

[mastuser]

If you choose to implement anonymization by truncation of IP addresses, please note that for effective anonymization, German DPAs require

• truncation of the last 2 Byte of IPv4 addresses
• truncation of the last 12 Byte of IPv6 addresses

[bortzmeyer]

Also, it is not just a matter of law (and the label "legal" is misleading). Above all, it is a political issue: do we want to protect the privacy of the users?

[bortzmeyer]

Also, it is not just a matter of law (and the label "legal" is misleading). Above all, it is a political issue: do we want to protect the privacy of the users?