Privacy Settings for Link List

[dancing_serpent]

Title:
Privacy Settings for Link List

Area:
privacy, security

Summary:
The link list in the sidebar/modules should be invisible for unregistered users /users not on your access list.

Description:
Currently, even when your journal settings are access list only, your link list (in the modules/sidebar) is visible for everyone. It should be visible for your access list only.

It works for the tags - in locked journals and communities they are invisible to others unless they are logged in members or have access. It should be possible to make the link list invisible like that, too, because just like the tags the link list can tell a lot about the content of the journal/community.

Right now I have to make a locked entry where I collect links and link to that on my links list if I want to keep it invisible for people I don't give access.

I have no idea if that's something simple to implement or not, but I do feel uncomfortable creating a link list as long as it's visible to everybody.

ETA: Just to clarify why I want this so bad - I run communities where people sometimes share media. It's all fine to tell them to member-lock their entries when posting media downloads, but I can't put media sharing sites in the links list because they will be open to the public. That's very inconvenient!

Poll #1543 Privacy Settings for Link List

Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 40

View Respondents

This suggestion:

View Answers

Should be implemented as-is.
6 (15.0%)

Should be implemented with changes. (please comment)
21 (52.5%)

Shouldn't be implemented.
5 (12.5%)

(I have no opinion)
7 (17.5%)

(Other: please comment)
1 (2.5%)

Comments

[cesy]

I think this should be an option, not the default - some people might want to show their link list.

But yes, an option to make your link list either access-only or private could be useful.

[dancing_serpent]

Making it optional would be fine with me, too.

[ninetydegrees]

+1

[matgb]

some people might want to show their link list.

Definitely--my links list is there specifically public which is how I want it, I specifically want it both public and spidered by Google, some of the links are there specifically to get spidered.

I can see an argument for a privacy option, but I can't see why that can't be solved by a link to a locked post in the links list.

[dancing_serpent]

I can see an argument for a privacy option, but I can't see why that can't be solved by a link to a locked post in the links list.

That's what I'm doing with the links I don't want to be public, but it's pretty inconvenient.

[snakeling]

What about choosing a privacy setting for each link? You could have public links, access-only links, and private links all at once.

[zarhooie]

This, definitely. When I read the proposal, this is what came to mind.

Obviously, some people won't take advantage of it... but some will.

[saekhwa]

I like this idea.

[lassarina]

Oh, yes! Awesome.

[cheyinka]

That's a good way to handle it, I think.

[triadruid]

If we must implement this, then making it optional is the only sensible way to go. It baffles me that people would try to use the Link List as an access-controlled list, rather than the already existing mechanisms of locked posts. LJ never worked this way, did it?

[snakeling]

Actually, there's no need to make it optional. Just make the default security level public, and it'll act exactly as it does now. Then if you want some access-only or private links, you can change those individually.

It baffles me that people would try to use the Link List as an access-controlled list, rather than the already existing mechanisms of locked posts.
The problem with locked posts is that you have to stick them or to make them visible in some way, otherwise they get buried. Link lists are always visible.

LJ never worked this way, did it?
No, it didn't, but that's a rather poor reason for not doing something :)

[matgb]

The problem with locked posts is that you have to stick them or to make them visible in some way

Most I know that have a locked post they think is important, they put a link to it in the links list.

Having said that, I can see a use to having access only links, but I doubt it's something I'd use.

[tzipwich]

Yeah, this.

[instantramen]

+1

[sally_maria]

I agree, that would be a very good idea.

[mmmag]

+1

[kyrielle]

This would be ideal.

[magycmyste]

this is what I'd like to see.

[calime]

+1

[sophie]

I like this.

[queenbarwench]

+1

[turlough]

Well, I think all modules that only have content put there by the user, i.e. linklist and custom text at the moment - should have the option to be set to either private, access-list only, or public.

[sky]

This is something I've always wanted, but I do think it should be optional. I'm not sure I like the above idea of setting it on a per-link basis as it seems like that might be too much hassle -- I'd rather be able to set security for batches of links at once, I think.