nextcloud / nextcloud/server

Links break upon account deactivation

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0. Needs triage enhancement feature: sharing
Dominant language
PHP
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Description

⚠️ This issue respects the following points: ⚠️
  • This is a bug, not a question or a configuration/webserver/proxy issue.
  • This issue is not already reported on Github (I've searched it).
  • Nextcloud Server is up to date. See Maintenance and Release Schedule for supported versions.
  • Nextcloud Server is running on 64bit capable CPU, PHP and OS.
  • I agree to follow Nextcloud's Code of Conduct.
Bug description

In a company environment users generate links as part of their job description (e.g. by using the sentendent outlook plugin or in other ways, with or withoud passwords). The data provided to customers by those links must be available for a time x, say e.g. x= 1 year.

Sadly users change company from time to time which means their access to company data has to be cut by deaktivating or deleting their accounts. Although nextcloud is aware of this scenario (see eg. https://nextcloud.com/de/blog/what-happens-to-your-data-when-a-user-account-is-deleted/ all links are breaking when a user account gets deaktivated. This is in perfect agreement with DSGVO, but from my point of view a better DSGVO conform solution must be provided for a business environment.

Giving customers accounts to share data is not a feasible workaround. In a small scale environment often a "web of trust" approach is used, so accounts are shared only with a limited number of key clients with which date is shared on a regular basis. Changing customers only get links.

A possible, but not limiting idea, to solve the problem might be: Upon account creation allow to generate "bussiness accounts". If this option ist checked a user gets informed that his shared links will stay active upon deactivation of his/her account. Once the account is deleted, links will be deteleted as well.

Any better idea is welcome.

Related discussion which, from my point of view, don't provide a solution:
https://github.com/nextcloud/social/issues/164
https://help.nextcloud.com/t/sharing-with-a-link-when-users-becomes-inactive/135722/4

Steps to reproduce
  1. create account for a test user
  2. log in as test user and create a couple of links to share data
  3. deaktivate (or delete) the test user account
  4. check if the links the test user created are still working => that's not the case
  5. (upon reactivation of the test user account the links work againt => good job!)
Expected behavior

links of the test user are still working

Test user was informed upon receiving his account upon this behaviour to stay conform with DSGVO

Installation method

None

Operating system

None

PHP engine version

None

Web server

None

Database engine version

None

Is this bug present after an update or on a fresh install?

None

Are you using the Nextcloud Server Encryption module?

None

What user-backends are you using?
  • Default user-backend (database)
  • LDAP/ Active Directory
  • SSO - SAML
  • Other
Configuration report

No response

List of activated Apps
not necessary
Nextcloud Signing status

No response

Nextcloud Logs

No response

Additional info

No response

Contributor guide

Open the contributing guide

First steps

  1. Read the whole issue, then the project's contributing guide.
  2. Comment on the issue to say you are picking it up — it saves two people doing the same work.
  3. Fork the repository and make your change on a branch.
  4. Open a pull request that references the issue number.

Research direction

No source file, test, or entry point is named. Start by running the listed account-deactivation and share-link reproduction steps, then trace the share-link lifecycle through account deactivation; done means links remain usable after deactivation while deletion removes them, with the intended DSGVO behavior defined.

Written by the indexing model from the issue text.

Assessment

Tech stack
php
Domain
backend
Issue type
Bug
Difficulty
5/5
Estimated time
Over a week
Activity status
Stale
Clarity
Needs clarification
Newbie friendliness
25/100

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