mulitple users - 2 using spotlight: 10.4

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philjcoates

Registered
Spotlight lists files that are in other users areas. just being able to see the filenames of all the other users' files undermines their privacy. Can spotlight be prevented from being so nosy?

I can switch out all my private files under the preferences of course - but then I can't use spotlight to look for files when I'm in my own area. I don't want to keep hopping in and out of the preferences - the whole idea of spotlight is that it is quick after all.

I want spotlight to stay out of user folders the same way the finder does.

There is a way to do this. Isn't there ?
 
Gotta say this sounds strange. This does not happen on either of the macs i run with multiple user accounts (1 ibook, 1 mini). You shouldn't have to set up anything on the privacy filters to get this to work either.

Straight from the 'Spotlight technology Brief':

"
Authenticated results

On systems with separate user accounts, Spotlight respects the boundaries of users’ personal files—even though there is only one index per volume. When the Spotlight engine finds a set of results, it uses Mach messaging to communicate with the kernel and determine whether the current user has access to all of the data. Any files that the user isn’t permitted to see drop off the results list. Because Spotlight is tightly integrated with the file system and the kernel, this check takes no additional time. In fact, the whole process is transparent to the user. This mechanism works even if you’re applying access control lists (ACLs) to your user accounts."
 
Thanks for that, at least I know how it is supposed to work. I'll go back and rummage. Not sure what my best option is if it can't be made to work properly - reinstall 10.4 perhaps ?
 
Are the other users admin-users, too? Maybe that's part of the answer...
 
Ok, I've done a little more digging. I really didn't like the sound of a major security feature not functioning...

The question you need to tell us is, are those files it's finding just sitting in the Home folder, or is it finding stuff in the other user's Desktop, Documents, etc?

Here's an Apple quote explaining the situation:

"If your computer has multiple user accounts, any files that reside at the top level of each user's Home folder will also be indexed and searchable by Spotlight, even though they cannot be modified. However, all files and folders located within a user's Desktop, Documents, Library, Music, Movies, and Pictures folders will not be indexed nor can they be searched by other user accounts using Spotlight."

MacIT
 
I traced the problem back. My home folder privileges for the group "staff" were set to read only instead of no access. Resetting it sorted the problem. I remember I was trying to find a way of making it possible for us to share music and picture libraries in itunes and iphoto - a problem I still haven't found a way round - subject of another posting but no replies!

Where will I find information about the way group permissions work and the ins and outs of multiple user options? I had been told that only networks needed to worry about groups but it's not that simple it seems.
 
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