diff --git a/bashhist.c b/bashhist.c
--- a/bashhist.c
+++ b/bashhist.c
@@ -702,6 +702,12 @@ check_add_history (line, force)
 #if defined (SYSLOG_HISTORY)
 #define SYSLOG_MAXLEN 600

+#if defined (SYSLOG_SHOPT)
+int syslog_history = SYSLOG_SHOPT;
+#else
+int syslog_history = 1;
+#endif
+
 void
 bash_syslog_history (line)
      const char *line;
@@ -782,7 +788,8 @@ bash_add_history (line)
     really_add_history (line);

 #if defined (SYSLOG_HISTORY)
-  bash_syslog_history (line);
+  if (syslog_history)
+    bash_syslog_history (line);
 #endif

   using_history ();
diff --git a/builtins/shopt.def b/builtins/shopt.def
--- a/builtins/shopt.def
+++ b/builtins/shopt.def
@@ -115,6 +115,10 @@ extern char *shell_name;
 extern int debugging_mode;
 #endif

+#if defined (SYSLOG_HISTORY) && defined (SYSLOG_SHOPT)
+extern int syslog_history;
+#endif
+
 static void shopt_error __P((char *));

 static int set_shellopts_after_change __P((char *, int));
@@ -208,6 +212,9 @@ static struct {
 #endif
   { "shift_verbose", &print_shift_error, (shopt_set_func_t *)NULL },
   { "sourcepath", &source_uses_path, (shopt_set_func_t *)NULL },
+#if defined (SYSLOG_HISTORY) && defined (SYSLOG_SHOPT)
+  { "syslog_history", &syslog_history, (shopt_set_func_t *)NULL },
+#endif
   { "xpg_echo", &xpg_echo, (shopt_set_func_t *)NULL },
   { (char *)0, (int *)0, (shopt_set_func_t *)NULL }
 };
diff --git a/config-top.h b/config-top.h
--- a/config-top.h
+++ b/config-top.h
@@ -109,5 +109,12 @@
 #  define SYSLOG_LEVEL LOG_INFO
 #endif

+/* Define if you want syslogging history to be controllable at runtime via a
+   shell option; if defined, the value is the default for the syslog_history
+   shopt option */
+#if defined (SYSLOG_HISTORY)
+#define SYSLOG_SHOPT 0
+#endif
+
 /* Define if you want to include code in shell.c to support wordexp(3) */
 /* #define WORDEXP_OPTION */
diff --git a/doc/bash.1 b/doc/bash.1
--- a/doc/bash.1
+++ b/doc/bash.1
@@ -9224,6 +9224,9 @@ If set, the
 to find the directory containing the file supplied as an argument.
 This option is enabled by default.
 .TP 8
+.B syslog_history
+If set, command history is logged to syslog.
+.TP 8
 .B xpg_echo
 If set, the \fBecho\fP builtin expands backslash-escape sequences
 by default.