What can each server role do?
Every private server has a Server Admin, and can have people who help manage it.
No role can read your messages
Server roles control who can manage the server, never who can read conversations:
- No one can read a conversation they aren't in — not a Co-Admin, a Compliance Viewer, the Server Admin or GetSafeNow.
- Seeing that a Room exists, its name, how many members it has and who created it is different from seeing what was said.
- The Server Admin or a Co-Admin can delete a Room without being able to read it.
- The audit log records administrative actions, such as who added or removed a user. It never contains message content.
Server Admin
The account that set the server up. There's one Server Admin per server, and no one else can suspend or remove them. The Server Admin can do everything, including three things only the Server Admin can do:
- Appoint and remove Co-Admins
- Set how long the audit log is kept (Pro)
- Appoint Compliance Viewers (Pro)
Co-Admin
Helps run the server day to day. Co-Admins manage Members; the Server Admin manages Co-Admins. A Co-Admin can:
- Add, suspend and remove Members
- Manage which other servers yours can talk to
- See the list of Rooms, their names, member counts and who created them
- Delete Rooms
- Use the compliance console: audit log and reports (Pro)
Compliance Viewer (Pro)
Read-only access to the compliance console — the audit log and reports. Made for an auditor, lawyer or compliance officer.
Member
Everyone else. Members message, call and manage their own account settings.
At a glance
| Action | Server Admin | Co-Admin | Compliance Viewer | Member |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Read conversations they aren't in | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Add, suspend and remove Members | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Delete Rooms | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Manage which servers yours can talk to | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ |
| View audit log and reports (Pro) | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ |
| Appoint or remove Co-Admins | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Set audit log retention (Pro) | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Appoint Compliance Viewers (Pro) | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
How roles are assigned
- Co-Admin — the Server Admin assigns it in the app under Manage Users.
- Compliance Viewer — the Server Admin assigns it in the compliance console (Pro).
Which plans include these roles
Co-Admins come with every paid plan. The compliance console, the audit log and the Compliance Viewer role are part of Pro. See What does a paid plan include?