If you've recently noticed that some member profiles or other Sanctuaries' data are no longer visible to you, this is intentional. ARA tightened its data access rules in April 2026 in response to a GDPR audit.
The new rule, in one sentence
You can see another member's profile only if you share at least one Sanctuary with them.
You can see another Sanctuary's content (Tasks, Gardens, Proposals, etc.) only if you're a member of it, or it's federated to a Sanctuary you're a member of.
Why we changed it
Previously, any signed-in ARA user could read every other Sanctuary's tasks, contributions, dietary restrictions, and mood signals. That was a real privacy leak — a user joining ARA for one community got read access to data from communities they had no business seeing.
What this affects
- Mycelium directory: Now shows members you actually share a Sanctuary with, not the entire ARA network. Federated Sanctuaries' members are still visible if your Sanctuary federates with theirs.
- Cross-Sanctuary task search: Limited to Sanctuaries you're a member of.
- Profile visits: If you click a name and see "User not available", it means you no longer share a Sanctuary with that person.
If something specific seems wrong
Check: are you actually a member of the Sanctuary in question? Membership can be revoked if you left a Sanctuary or if a steward removed you. Contact the Sanctuary's owner if you think this is a mistake.
For Angels (admins)
Angel access is unchanged. Angels can still view everything for support purposes.