Anonymous edits, what happened to them?

I downloaded an OSM history dump file two years ago and found anonymous edits in it (no id/username). I am wondering about what happened to anonymous edits when users decided to make them public ...

for an anonymous edits on the current version of an object?
for anonymous edits made on the previous versions of an object?

Is it possible that anonymous edits on prior versions of an object were not assigned to the user?

Thank, Daniel

edits historic anonymous

asked 29 Oct '16, 17:43

jfd553
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accept rate: 0%

Anonymous edits had been disabled for new users in 2007 and for already registered users in 2009.

(30 Oct '16, 08:14) scai ♦

One Answer:

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The OSM database has always recorded the user who made an edit; it's just that it didn't publish who it was. So when a hitherto anonymous user flipped the switch, the database should immediately start to reveal his identity even on old edits.

Of course this does not affect old planet files on disk, that were generated before the user flipped the switch.

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answered 30 Oct '16, 08:32

Frederik Ramm ♦
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accept rate: 23%

Make sense, but where do the anonymous edits I got in my OSM history dump file come from? The dump covers contributions from 2005 to the end of 2014, long after the switch to API 0.6...

(30 Oct '16, 13:06) jfd553

Unsure. It could be users that have been deleted.

(30 Oct '16, 14:55) Frederik Ramm ♦

Digging a bit more, could these deleted users be people that left an old account because "there was a history to be hidden" (quoting you!-) and created a new account to make their new edits public?

(30 Oct '16, 15:41) jfd553

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edits ×46
historic ×37
anonymous ×11

question asked: 29 Oct '16, 17:43

question was seen: 2,365 times

last updated: 30 Oct '16, 15:41

Anonymous edits, what happened to them?

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