Exposing public replies to private annotations in the client

[mkdir-washington-edu]

Definitions

For the issue below:

• "shared" is an annotation (including replies) where annotation.shared = TRUE
• "unshared" is an annotation where annotation.shared = FALSE
• "hidden" is a reply where annotation.shared = TRUE, but the reply is not normally visible in the client (because the top-level annotation is unshared or deleted)
• "exposed" is when a reply is normally hidden in the client, but is becomes visible in a specific context (like the use of the non-Canvas grading bar).

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Related issues

This is an issue encompassing the following preexisting github issues:

• https://github.com/hypothesis/support/issues/163

• • The annotation counts the instructors see in the email digest include shared replies that are hidden from the instructor because of a unshared or deleted top-level annotation.

• https://github.com/hypothesis/support/issues/163

• • The counts of replies that factor into a student's grade include shared replies that are hidden from the instructor.

• https://github.com/hypothesis/support/issues/95

• • When replies are shared and visible to the class, they become hidden if the visibility of the top-level annotation changes

• status of public replies on public annotatons later made private #390

• • An older discussion of the same issue

• Instructor faces error when replying to annotations that are replies to deleted annotations #1334

• • When a shared reply that is normally hidden is exposed (in this case it is because the non-Canvas grading bar can expose these replies), you cannot reply to the reply if the top-level annotation has been deleted

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Scenarios where this happens

no. 1 - Student creates both the unshared top-level annotation and the hidden reply

1. Student creates an annotation and posts to "Only Me"
2. Student created a shared reply to that annotation
3. The reply is hidden

no. 2 - Student creates a reply and the top-level annotation becomes deleted

1. Student creates a shared reply to a shared annotation
2. The owner of the top-level annotation deletes their annotation
3. The reply is hidden

no. 3 - Student creates a reply and the top-level annotation is edited to be unshared

1. Student creates a shared reply to a shared annotation
2. The owner of the top-level annotation edits their annotation and posts to "Only Me"
3. The reply is hidden

no. 4 - Student created a reply and the author of the top-level annotation has their account deleted

1. Student creates a shared reply to a shared annotation
2. The owner of the top-level annotation has their account deleted (at the school's request)
3. All of the annotations of the deleted owner get deleted
4. The reply is hidden

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Possible solutions

A - Don't allow replies with a broader sharing permission than the annotation you're replying to

• If the top level annotation is an "Only Me" annotation, you cannot create a shred reply, you can only create an "Only Me" reply
• Changing the top level annotation to shared will allow you to then edit the reply to change it to shared

B - Remove hidden replies from the auto-grading and email digest counts.

• This aligns the counts with that instructors can see in the app
• This means students can lose credit for work they did if their replies become hidden after they make them.

C - Disallow users from unsharing or deleting annotations once those annotations have replies

• This keeps shared replies visible
• We need to decide if an unshared reply also invokes this; if so your annotation might become undeletable and you'd never know why
• This seems very restrictive to users who create top-level annotations

OR

D - Keep shared replies visible and show in the thread a placeholder for unshared and deleted top-level annotations

• Gives the most transparency for users without restricting user choices
• If a single person owns the whole thread, deleting the top-level annotation might delete the replies as well

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Notes in Notion here.

[mkdir-washington-edu]

For now let's implement solution A and then icebox until we see more of an issue here.
MD write a different issue for A and icebox this.

[mkdir-washington-edu]

We're going to pursue solution A above here and icebox this issue.