Email Access Rights Notification and Modification
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Solution Overview
Problem
When sending links to files stored in cloud storage via email, senders face access rights issues as recipients may not have the necessary permissions, leading to unintended override of access control systems if automatic granting is used, and senders may be unaware of access rights issues without proper options to modify them.
Innovation Solution
An electronic communication service that checks access rights for recipients and provides senders with options to modify access rights based on their permissions, allowing them to add recipients to an access control list or change file visibility before sending the email, ensuring compliance with access control systems.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If automatic granting of access rights is implemented to ensure recipients can access files, then ease of operation is improved, but access control reliability deteriorates due to unintended overrides of sender intentions
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary checking of access rights before the email is sent. The server determines whether recipients have access rights to the linked file and notifies the sender in advance, allowing the sender to take appropriate action before transmission occurs.
Solution Approach 2:
The system provides feedback to the sender about the access rights status of recipients. The server sends information back to the client device indicating whether recipients can access the file, enabling the sender to make informed decisions about access control.
2Reliability
If senders are notified of access rights issues before sending, then access control reliability is improved, but productivity deteriorates due to additional steps required
Solution Approach 1:
The system provides optional actions rather than forcing a complete workflow interruption. The sender is given multiple choices including proceeding without modification, and the notification system provides partial information about access rights rather than requiring full resolution before sending.
3Loss of energy
If cloud storage links are used instead of file attachments, then bandwidth consumption is reduced, but access rights management complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system enables self-service access rights management where the sender can directly modify access rights through the electronic communication service interface. The server automatically determines access rights and presents modification options to the sender without requiring manual configuration or complex administrative procedures.
Data Source
AI summary
A drafting area of a user interface for a sender to compose an electronic communication and a field area of the user interface to receive user input that identifies a recipient of the electronic communication is provided. A user input of a resource locator of a file is received in the user interface. Responsive to receiving the user input of the resource locator of the file in the user interface, a notification area that identifies, for the sender, a plurality of options to modify access rights of the recipient for the file identified in the electronic communication is presented in the user interface. The access rights of the recipient are allowed to be modified by the sender who is not an administrator or an owner of an access control list associated with the file.