More LJ Venting...

[xthread]

Ok. So the basic trust model is broken,
because you can't tell whether or not
somebody else is at the same trust
level that you are, which bites.

But the basic comment control model
is *also* broken.

For example, as a commenter, can I request
that my comment be screened? I cannot.
As a journal owner, can I change an existing
post so that comments to it are now screened? I cannot.
As a journal owner, can I screen a comment
that another user has posted on a posting
which is not normally screened? I cannot.

Argh!

All of which leads to having to create extra groups to contain different privilege circles, which basically bites. And I still can't control comments in any reasonable way. Argh!

Comments

[lyonesse.livejournal.com]

of course, you can *never* tell how trust models work outside your own head. so while inconvenient, this one is entirely realistic.

not the trust model

[xf.livejournal.com]

Neither of these are flaws with the underlying trust model. The first is a flaw in visiblity issues --- not providing people with enough information to make what you consider to be an informed opinion. The second is a lack of fine-grained controls for modifying default behavior. Both of these are relevant things to discuss, but they are not flaws in the trust model.

A flaw in the trust model would be something like transitive trust --- if you commented on a protected post, then anybody who you have allowed access to your protected items could see the protected post that you had commented on.

Another flaw in the trust model, which may actually be present, would be if journal A is set up so that it can be seen by "friends only," and friend B has A on her friend's list, then anybody who is on B's friends list can see A's posts that are restricted to friends.

Re: not the trust model

[ambar.livejournal.com]

Another flaw in the trust model, which may actually be present [...]

I'm pretty sure it's not. Let's see, I have friends-only postings in my journal, and xthread has my journal and yours on his friends list, but your journal is not on my friends list. There's your test case. If you can see friends-locked postings in my journal, please report the bug to LJ. :-)

Re: not the trust model

[xf.livejournal.com]

My partner was pretty sure that the bug was here. The problem, though, is that I can't obviously identify the message that you are referring to. If you could create two test entries in your livejournal --- one that is protected, one that isn't --- I should be able to give you a more definitive answer.

I don't know if the bug is present or not. I'm actually more interested in the terminology issues and the underlying HCI-SEC issues, as it is precisely the area of research that am supposed to be pursuing.

Re: not the trust model

[ambar.livejournal.com]

There is a publicly visible entry of 19 December (8:44pm).
There is a friends-locked entry of 25 December (10:49am).

no bug found

[xf.livejournal.com]

Well, the good news is that my partner was wrong, and I can't read the friends-locked entry of 25 December 10:49am.

The bad news, I guess, is that I'm now super-curious about that friends-locked entry of 25 December 10:49am. Hm...

Re: no bug found

[ambar.livejournal.com]

Well, I'm still curious about what name I knew you by, so it seems we have some room to negotiate.

xf

[xf.livejournal.com]

Don't worry about the past; the present and the future are far more interesting. I don't need to see your private entries.