I propose a feature that you could toggle on to automatically withdraw your ID if someone disagrees. Obviously not everyone would like to use this, especially experts in the field, but for non-experts with a lot of observations like me I think it would be useful. Personally I upload nearly all of m…

I’m puzzled (and probably naive). Why would someone purposely add erroneous ID’s? On a larger note, I would not mind the option to do this (it would have to be my choice, for each observation). With some Unknowns I will add a rough ID that may or may not be accurate. Although I check iNat 2-3 times…

I wouldn’t say erroneous, but, when I’m looking at ‘unknowns’, I’ll put an educated guess at the lowest level I can. Sometimes it’s wrong, say wolf spider vs running crab spider. I’d be fine with an auto-withdraw for ones like that or when I use the CV when I’m not sure what to choose and someone mo…

Children can add anything that comes to their mind as an id to others’ observations, they’re not much better with own too, e.g. iding photo of a classmate girl as a snake.

But, if this ‘I was wrong’ is automatically withdrawn - you won’t see how a scientist has patiently explained WHY you are wrong. The scientists get weary of people who ‘ignore’ their comments. And you will continue to make the same uncorrected mistake in future. That’s not a win win for anybody.

[image] mamestraconfigurata: I’m puzzled (and probably naive). Why would someone purposely add erroneous ID’s? [image] marina_gorbunova: e.g. iding photo of a classmate girl as a snake. Yep! There is an observation of a kid in body paint IDed as a tiger. I occasionally get notificatio…

That’s super helpful. Thank you! I had four I needed to clear, some where I was inappropriately blocking community ID.

i sort of think this could encourage people to submit uninformed identifications more freely. if you’re not comfortable with your ID, then my take is that you shouldn’t add that ID. if it’s too many buttons to click to make an alternative ID, then i think a better request (for the app only) would be…

[image] lbyrley: faster to select whatever the AI suggests and I don’t always have time to double check if it’s something accurate That is saving you time. While you would like to save even more time by letting iNat tidy up when others - who spend their time adding a slow ID - disagree with y…

And @marina_gorbunova - thanks. I had forgotten about that aspect. Do either of you (or anyone else) know of instances where legitimate observations and identifications are deliberately erroneously identified by the same person? For example, if I post photos of pileated woodpeckers and the same per…

Yes, yes, yes! Cleanup on on aisle 3 absorbs far too much of my time, especially if you leave reasons. I only add rough ID’s to ‘Unknowns’, and only when I’m reasonably sure about what it is. I do (gulp) make mistakes. Rarely. Occasionally. OK, more than that!

Option to Automatically Withdraw IDs on Observations

Feature Requests

DianaStuder May 7, 2022, 7:37pm 23

Maybe treating iNat as just one more social media, computer game, shiny new must have, next. Without knowing or caring the trail of damage they leave for us.

Topic		Replies	Views
Making it easier for users to know (how) to fix incorrect IDs General	28	1873	July 23, 2021
Emphasize that it is OK not to know the correct ID Feature Requests	22	994	March 6, 2025
Improving iNaturalist's Rate of Accurate “Research Grade” Observations by Better Promoting, Explaining, and Improving Visibility of, the “Withdraw” Option General	52	2408	August 2, 2022
People identifying sightings identified previously when it is unnecessary General	101	3816	April 27, 2026
What happens next? General	26	1197	December 11, 2024

Option to Automatically Withdraw IDs on Observations

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