diff --git a/lib/shared/avatar-utils.js b/lib/shared/avatar-utils.js
--- a/lib/shared/avatar-utils.js
+++ b/lib/shared/avatar-utils.js
@@ -22,7 +22,6 @@
 } from '../types/minimally-encoded-thread-permissions-types.js';
 import { threadTypes } from '../types/thread-types-enum.js';
 import type { UserInfos } from '../types/user-types.js';
-import { authoritativeKeyserverID } from '../utils/authoritative-keyserver.js';
 import { useSelector } from '../utils/redux-utils.js';
 
 const defaultAnonymousUserEmojiAvatar: ClientEmojiAvatar = {
@@ -248,8 +247,10 @@
 
 function getDefaultAvatar(hashKey: string, color?: string): ClientEmojiAvatar {
   let key = hashKey;
-  if (key.startsWith(`${authoritativeKeyserverID()}|`)) {
-    key = key.slice(`${authoritativeKeyserverID()}|`.length);
+
+  const barPosition = key.indexOf('|');
+  if (barPosition !== -1) {
+    key = key.slice(barPosition + 1);
   }
 
   const avatarIndex = stringHash(key) % defaultEmojiAvatars.length;
diff --git a/lib/shared/thread-utils.js b/lib/shared/thread-utils.js
--- a/lib/shared/thread-utils.js
+++ b/lib/shared/thread-utils.js
@@ -27,6 +27,7 @@
 import ashoat from '../facts/ashoat.js';
 import genesis from '../facts/genesis.js';
 import { useLoggedInUserInfo } from '../hooks/account-hooks.js';
+import { extractKeyserverIDFromID } from '../keyserver-conn/keyserver-call-utils.js';
 import {
   hasPermission,
   permissionsToBitmaskHex,
@@ -243,8 +244,10 @@
   if (threadInfo.community !== genesis().id) {
     return threadInfo.members;
   }
+  const adminID = extractKeyserverIDFromID(threadInfo.id);
+
   return threadInfo.members.filter(
-    member => member.id !== ashoat.id || member.role,
+    member => member.id !== adminID || member.role,
   );
 }