diff --git a/app/models/admin_dashboard_data.rb b/app/models/admin_dashboard_data.rb
index cd5b4eaff81..e4434657457 100644
--- a/app/models/admin_dashboard_data.rb
+++ b/app/models/admin_dashboard_data.rb
@@ -194,14 +194,13 @@ class AdminDashboardData
       I18n.t(i18n_key)
     end
   end
+
   def self.report_access_password_removal
     $redis.setex access_password_removal_key, 172_800, 'dashboard.access_password_removal'
   end
 
-  private
-
-    def self.access_password_removal_key
-      'dash-data:access_password_removal'
-    end
+  def self.access_password_removal_key
+    'dash-data:access_password_removal'
+  end
 
 end
diff --git a/app/models/category_featured_topic.rb b/app/models/category_featured_topic.rb
index 2324a9fd3ab..524f35583bc 100644
--- a/app/models/category_featured_topic.rb
+++ b/app/models/category_featured_topic.rb
@@ -35,14 +35,13 @@ class CategoryFeaturedTopic < ActiveRecord::Base
     end
   end
 
-  private
-    def self.fake_admin
-      # fake an admin
-      admin = User.new
-      admin.admin = true
-      admin.id = -1
-      admin
-    end
+  def self.fake_admin
+    # fake an admin
+    admin = User.new
+    admin.admin = true
+    admin.id = -1
+    admin
+  end
 
 end
 
diff --git a/app/models/category_user.rb b/app/models/category_user.rb
index 830787caf01..1b65dccfb10 100644
--- a/app/models/category_user.rb
+++ b/app/models/category_user.rb
@@ -60,8 +60,6 @@ class CategoryUser < ActiveRecord::Base
     end
   end
 
-  private
-
   def self.apply_default_to_topic(topic, level, reason)
     # Can not afford to slow down creation of topics when a pile of users are watching new topics, reverting to SQL for max perf here
     sql = <<SQL
diff --git a/app/models/draft.rb b/app/models/draft.rb
index 2a881f39102..a5a9ddaae46 100644
--- a/app/models/draft.rb
+++ b/app/models/draft.rb
@@ -27,8 +27,6 @@ class Draft < ActiveRecord::Base
     end
   end
 
-  protected
-
   def self.find_draft(user, key)
     if user.is_a?(User)
       find_by(user_id: user.id, draft_key: key)
diff --git a/app/models/error_log.rb b/app/models/error_log.rb
index 097dbce8ddd..8448aeb9415 100644
--- a/app/models/error_log.rb
+++ b/app/models/error_log.rb
@@ -85,8 +85,6 @@ class ErrorLog
     end
   end
 
-  private
-
   def self.sanitize_backtrace(trace)
     re = Regexp.new(/^#{Regexp.escape(Rails.root.to_s)}/)
     trace.map { |line| Pathname.new(line.gsub(re, "[RAILS_ROOT]")).cleanpath.to_s }
diff --git a/app/models/global_setting.rb b/app/models/global_setting.rb
index 850f75f5aa0..cea2ca92b65 100644
--- a/app/models/global_setting.rb
+++ b/app/models/global_setting.rb
@@ -80,8 +80,6 @@ class GlobalSetting
       @data.keys
     end
 
-
-    private
     def self.parse(file)
       provider = self.new(file)
       provider.read
diff --git a/app/models/locale_site_setting.rb b/app/models/locale_site_setting.rb
index ed3ff9c7bd1..5c73595651b 100644
--- a/app/models/locale_site_setting.rb
+++ b/app/models/locale_site_setting.rb
@@ -12,9 +12,6 @@ class LocaleSiteSetting < EnumSiteSetting
     end
   end
 
-
-  private
-
   @lock = Mutex.new
 
   def self.supported_locales
diff --git a/app/models/plugin_store.rb b/app/models/plugin_store.rb
index 738d0971e3a..5ef649e072e 100644
--- a/app/models/plugin_store.rb
+++ b/app/models/plugin_store.rb
@@ -26,10 +26,6 @@ class PluginStore
     PluginStoreRow.where(plugin_name: plugin_name, key: key).destroy_all
   end
 
-
-  protected
-
-
   def self.determine_type(value)
     value.is_a?(Hash) || value.is_a?(Array) ? "JSON" : value.class.to_s
   end
diff --git a/app/models/post_action.rb b/app/models/post_action.rb
index 8f41cd3c02e..6e3b5b6c328 100644
--- a/app/models/post_action.rb
+++ b/app/models/post_action.rb
@@ -431,8 +431,6 @@ class PostAction < ActiveRecord::Base
     PostActionType.types[post_action.post_action_type_id]
   end
 
-  protected
-
   def self.target_moderators
     Group[:moderators].name
   end
diff --git a/app/models/s3_region_site_setting.rb b/app/models/s3_region_site_setting.rb
index 9267b7ebc9a..993ba1ad6f1 100644
--- a/app/models/s3_region_site_setting.rb
+++ b/app/models/s3_region_site_setting.rb
@@ -9,8 +9,6 @@ class S3RegionSiteSetting < EnumSiteSetting
     @values ||= valid_values.sort.map {|x| {name: x, value: x} }
   end
 
-  private
-
   def self.valid_values
     [ '',
       'us-east-1',
diff --git a/app/models/top_topic.rb b/app/models/top_topic.rb
index 45fa359f33d..a891dda3955 100644
--- a/app/models/top_topic.rb
+++ b/app/models/top_topic.rb
@@ -28,25 +28,24 @@ class TopTopic < ActiveRecord::Base
     TopTopic.refresh_older!
   end
 
-  private
 
-    def self.periods
-      @@periods ||= [:yearly, :monthly, :weekly, :daily].freeze
+  def self.periods
+    @@periods ||= [:yearly, :monthly, :weekly, :daily].freeze
+  end
+
+  def self.sort_orders
+    @@sort_orders ||= [:posts, :views, :likes].freeze
+  end
+
+  def self.update_counts_and_compute_scores_for(period)
+    TopTopic.sort_orders.each do |sort|
+      TopTopic.send("update_#{sort}_count_for", period)
     end
+    TopTopic.compute_top_score_for(period)
+  end
 
-    def self.sort_orders
-      @@sort_orders ||= [:posts, :views, :likes].freeze
-    end
-
-    def self.update_counts_and_compute_scores_for(period)
-      TopTopic.sort_orders.each do |sort|
-        TopTopic.send("update_#{sort}_count_for", period)
-      end
-      TopTopic.compute_top_score_for(period)
-    end
-
-    def self.remove_invisible_topics
-      exec_sql("WITH category_definition_topic_ids AS (
+  def self.remove_invisible_topics
+    exec_sql("WITH category_definition_topic_ids AS (
                   SELECT COALESCE(topic_id, 0) AS id FROM categories
                 ), invisible_topic_ids AS (
                   SELECT id
@@ -59,11 +58,11 @@ class TopTopic < ActiveRecord::Base
                 )
                 DELETE FROM top_topics
                 WHERE topic_id IN (SELECT id FROM invisible_topic_ids)",
-                private_message: Archetype::private_message)
-    end
+             private_message: Archetype::private_message)
+  end
 
-    def self.add_new_visible_topics
-      exec_sql("WITH category_definition_topic_ids AS (
+  def self.add_new_visible_topics
+    exec_sql("WITH category_definition_topic_ids AS (
                   SELECT COALESCE(topic_id, 0) AS id FROM categories
                 ), visible_topics AS (
                 SELECT t.id
@@ -78,11 +77,11 @@ class TopTopic < ActiveRecord::Base
               )
               INSERT INTO top_topics (topic_id)
               SELECT id FROM visible_topics",
-              private_message: Archetype::private_message)
-    end
+             private_message: Archetype::private_message)
+  end
 
-    def self.update_posts_count_for(period)
-      sql = "SELECT topic_id, GREATEST(COUNT(*), 1) AS count
+  def self.update_posts_count_for(period)
+    sql = "SELECT topic_id, GREATEST(COUNT(*), 1) AS count
              FROM posts
              WHERE created_at >= :from
                AND deleted_at IS NULL
@@ -91,20 +90,20 @@ class TopTopic < ActiveRecord::Base
                AND user_id <> #{Discourse.system_user.id}
              GROUP BY topic_id"
 
-      TopTopic.update_top_topics(period, "posts", sql)
-    end
+    TopTopic.update_top_topics(period, "posts", sql)
+  end
 
-    def self.update_views_count_for(period)
-      sql = "SELECT topic_id, COUNT(*) AS count
+  def self.update_views_count_for(period)
+    sql = "SELECT topic_id, COUNT(*) AS count
              FROM topic_views
              WHERE viewed_at >= :from
              GROUP BY topic_id"
 
-      TopTopic.update_top_topics(period, "views", sql)
-    end
+    TopTopic.update_top_topics(period, "views", sql)
+  end
 
-    def self.update_likes_count_for(period)
-      sql = "SELECT topic_id, GREATEST(SUM(like_count), 1) AS count
+  def self.update_likes_count_for(period)
+    sql = "SELECT topic_id, GREATEST(SUM(like_count), 1) AS count
              FROM posts
              WHERE created_at >= :from
                AND deleted_at IS NULL
@@ -112,11 +111,11 @@ class TopTopic < ActiveRecord::Base
                AND post_type = #{Post.types[:regular]}
              GROUP BY topic_id"
 
-      TopTopic.update_top_topics(period, "likes", sql)
-    end
+    TopTopic.update_top_topics(period, "likes", sql)
+  end
 
-    def self.compute_top_score_for(period)
-      sql = <<-SQL
+  def self.compute_top_score_for(period)
+    sql = <<-SQL
         WITH top AS (
           SELECT CASE
                    WHEN topics.created_at < :from THEN 0
@@ -131,29 +130,29 @@ class TopTopic < ActiveRecord::Base
         FROM top
         WHERE top_topics.topic_id = top.topic_id
           AND #{period}_score <> top.score
-      SQL
+    SQL
 
-      exec_sql(sql, from: start_of(period))
+    exec_sql(sql, from: start_of(period))
+  end
+
+  def self.start_of(period)
+    case period
+      when :yearly  then 1.year.ago
+      when :monthly then 1.month.ago
+      when :weekly  then 1.week.ago
+      when :daily   then 1.day.ago
     end
+  end
 
-    def self.start_of(period)
-      case period
-        when :yearly  then 1.year.ago
-        when :monthly then 1.month.ago
-        when :weekly  then 1.week.ago
-        when :daily   then 1.day.ago
-      end
-    end
-
-    def self.update_top_topics(period, sort, inner_join)
-      exec_sql("UPDATE top_topics
+  def self.update_top_topics(period, sort, inner_join)
+    exec_sql("UPDATE top_topics
                 SET #{period}_#{sort}_count = c.count
                 FROM top_topics tt
                 INNER JOIN (#{inner_join}) c ON tt.topic_id = c.topic_id
                 WHERE tt.topic_id = top_topics.topic_id
                   AND tt.#{period}_#{sort}_count <> c.count",
-                from: start_of(period))
-    end
+             from: start_of(period))
+  end
 
 end
 
diff --git a/app/models/trust_level_setting.rb b/app/models/trust_level_setting.rb
index bb777485d3e..54bcd3e04c5 100644
--- a/app/models/trust_level_setting.rb
+++ b/app/models/trust_level_setting.rb
@@ -10,8 +10,6 @@ class TrustLevelSetting < EnumSiteSetting
     @values ||= valid_values.map {|x| {name: x.to_s, value: x} }
   end
 
-  private
-
   def self.valid_values
     TrustLevel.levels.values.sort
   end
diff --git a/app/models/user_action.rb b/app/models/user_action.rb
index 4574a58752a..4280224bf09 100644
--- a/app/models/user_action.rb
+++ b/app/models/user_action.rb
@@ -271,8 +271,6 @@ SQL
     self.synchronize_starred
   end
 
-  protected
-
   def self.update_like_count(user_id, action_type, delta)
     if action_type == LIKE
       UserStat.where(user_id: user_id).update_all("likes_given = likes_given + #{delta.to_i}")