Restore of anonymized backup creates new (anonymous Australian ) users.
What's the point of that?
The most important reason I can think of for creating anonymized backup is to be able to provide content packages such that the content does not contain any info on the provider's environment, and when the recipient adds the content to his/her course/site the content should be assigned to him/her (and not add users!).
Am I missing something here?
Consider the possible uses of a module such as the database. As a resource the content of the module instance is in user entries. So an instructional designer or content developer may create a resource application based on this module and add a couple of entries either as a starting point or as samples. But the designer may work in one moodle environment while the package will be installed in another.
In most cases this shouldn't break any rules because users who are allowed to install packages usually have enough permissions to override rules on content. But even if some rules may break in some cases, that's just an instance of 'use with caution'. We can't really prevent users from making mistakes and we shouldn't try to overprotect because that just put unnecessary constraints on what can be done with the system.
I'm not misinterpreting, Dan.
The scenario I propose poses no problems to the relational integrity of Moodle data on any level. If anything then the auto creation of new anonymous users breaks the rational integrity of Moodle data on the user level. So what you suggest does not really addresses the issue.
The scenario I propose simply means that under certain conditions, content own by one user in the source Moodle server is assigned to an existing equivalent user in the target Moodle server, rather than to a new meaningless user. If the conditions are not met the restore may be denied.
Like everything else, this can be worked around. But it is a missed opportunity for code/functionality reuse.
And so it is worked around by assigning restored activity data to the restorer and deleting from mdl_user all anon users.