Yelenia Hylraren
Aes Sedai
Your question is likely covered in the 'opt out' discussion of the Admin meeting notes found here. The announcements are part of the system, so no, opting out is not an option at this time.
Eleyan Sedai said:- We reviewed a request from a member to be able to allow people to "opt out" of the merit recognition system we're rolling out. Given the scope of this project, and how tied in it will be to our administrative procedures and community, this isn't an option. Like raisings and bondings, merits will be recorded on member's Who's Who page and (the larger merits) announced in Site Announcements. However, no one is required to put badges in their sigs, wear their pins, or otherwise involve themselves unless they want to.