diff --git a/services/web/app.js b/services/web/app.js
index cf021ab984..374cf7cb4a 100644
--- a/services/web/app.js
+++ b/services/web/app.js
@@ -25,17 +25,6 @@ if ((Settings.sentry != null ? Settings.sentry.dsn : undefined) != null) {
 metrics.memory.monitor(logger)
 const Server = require('./app/src/infrastructure/Server')
 
-const { argv } = require('optimist')
-  .options('user', {
-    alias: 'u',
-    description: 'Run the server with permissions of the specified user'
-  })
-  .options('group', {
-    alias: 'g',
-    description: 'Run the server with permissions of the specified group'
-  })
-  .usage('Usage: $0')
-
 if (Settings.catchErrors) {
   process.removeAllListeners('uncaughtException')
   process.on('uncaughtException', error =>
@@ -51,14 +40,6 @@ if (!module.parent) {
     logger.info(`${require('http').globalAgent.maxSockets} sockets enabled`)
     // wait until the process is ready before monitoring the event loop
     metrics.event_loop.monitor(logger)
-    if (argv.user) {
-      process.setuid(argv.user)
-      logger.info(`Running as user: ${argv.user}`)
-    }
-    if (argv.group) {
-      process.setgid(argv.group)
-      return logger.info(`Running as group: ${argv.group}`)
-    }
   })
 }
 
diff --git a/services/web/package.json b/services/web/package.json
index 80858923a5..c3bd760d6d 100644
--- a/services/web/package.json
+++ b/services/web/package.json
@@ -88,7 +88,6 @@
     "nodemailer-ses-transport": "^1.3.0",
     "nvd3": "^1.8.6",
     "oauth2-server": "^3.0.1",
-    "optimist": "0.6.1",
     "p-limit": "^2.2.1",
     "passport": "^0.3.2",
     "passport-google-oauth20": "^1.0.0",