Hi, While learning how to better identify species I’ve found it helpful to browse through other experts’ IDs to review for matches and comments of rationale. Recently I found a small number of users suspended from iNat and now it seems I can’t see their historic Identifications. Is there a way to…

using https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?ident_user_id=graysquirrel (replace with their user ID) should still work.

Thanks! I’m looking at ID’s rather than observations, but it seems */identifications/username works for those. Are all suspensions permanent or are there the ‘week off for bad behaviour’ types too? It would be unfortunate to lose multiple IDers in an area of expertise.

I could be wrong here, but I sincerely doubt there will be much in the way expertise with suspended users. The reason that I run into most often for suspension is too many stolen photos. I don’t know if you can be suspended for joke ID’s (I hope so, they’re really annoying), but I have run into te…

I wouldn’t have thought so either, but as far as I can see the users were providing generally good Id’s and they certainly at least weren’t joke ‘way off’ Id’s. One had been here quite a while. I don’t know the reasons and I won’t pry into them, I just wanted to be able to see their Id’s for refer…

There’s a user who creates multiple accounts, adds normal, as you describe ids, valuable in fact, but also talks down to everyone, adds sexist comments and feels like he’s the boss of it, so he’s banned, guess knowledge in systematics doesn’t make you a decent human. And as you’re into parasitoid wa…

It always annoys me so much when people with valuable knowledge get themselves banned for being jerks… it’s really not that hard to be polite, but they would rather be rude than be a part of the community.

When someone is banned their existing IDs and observations are not removed unless they request it. Which does sometimes happen. It’s unfortunate when it happens but I feel like it takes a lot to get banned permanently from inat and I personally don’t believe that any persons contribution to science…

Thanks, fair enough. As graysquirrel said it is really disappointing when someone can’t be civil and respectful and we lose their otherwise useful expertise.

[image] neylon: I sincerely doubt there will be much in the way expertise with suspended users There are exceptions, as with any rule in biology… Not sure if this is the example @marina_gorbunova was alluding to, but a few weeks ago I saw a huge flareup on the taxacom listserv because an ins…

This user isn’t from New Zealand, in that case they did everything to be banned, but IMO there’re more problems with deleting accounts than banning, at least ids stay. I think people in permaban always can talk their way out with staff.

Viewing a suspended user's IDs?

General

ephofmann January 8, 2022, 12:42pm 6

There is at least one instance (thinking of herpetofauna specifically) where a prominent user/amateur expert who contributed 100,000+ IDs has been suspended (permanently, I think).

Topic		Replies	Views
Observations by suspended users should indicate the user is suspended Feature Requests web , mobile-app	26	932	January 19, 2026
What to do with users who consistently misidentify? General	25	3327	January 12, 2020
Waiting before suspending Curators	12	1260	August 16, 2024
Suspending users - make it mandatory for a curator to provide a reason? Curators	19	2580	November 29, 2021
User adding unjustified Computer Vision IDs General	9	242	May 9, 2025

Viewing a suspended user's IDs?

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