Newsletter editor and surveys: ABAC visibility and access control

Overview

Audience-Based Access Control (ABAC) now governs how surveys appear in the newsletter editor and to end recipients. What you see while building a newsletter may differ from what recipients see after the newsletter is sent. Visibility in the editor is role-aware, and error messages and restriction indicators follow the same ABAC logic.

How visibility works

Recipient experience

Recipients see a survey in a sent newsletter or preview only if they belong to that survey's target audience. If they are not in the audience, the survey is fully hidden. No blurred tile or placeholder is shown.

Editor experience

What you see in the newsletter editor depends on your role.

• Feature Owners and App Managers see all surveys in the picker and on the canvas, regardless of audience.

• Feature Managers see surveys whose Access Control Group (ACG) scope aligns with their managed audience.

• Standard Users see only surveys that include them in the target audience. If a survey was added by an editor with broader access and falls outside their scope, it appears blurred with a restricted message.

Role-to-visibility reference

Editor indicators and messages

• Blurred tile with "Restricted" label: You do not have access to interact with this survey. It remains in the layout if it was added by someone with appropriate access.

• Crossed-eye icon: Replaces the previous lock icon. Indicates an ABAC-driven restriction. The change was made to reduce confusion with private items and to clearly signal access restriction.

• Audience peek: Where available, use the eye or audience details control to review the survey's target audience list.

These indicators also apply in Heatmap view.

Common scenarios

• App Manager builds a newsletter for an all-org audience Sees all surveys in the picker. Recipients still only see surveys that target them individually.

• Feature Manager for a "Canada" audience Sees and can place surveys targeted to the "Canada" audience. A "US-only" survey appears as restricted.

• Standard User acting as editor Sees only surveys that include them in the target audience. If a Feature Owner added a survey outside their scope, they see it blurred with a restricted message.

Best practices

• Before sending, use Preview as a representative recipient from each key audience to validate what they will see.

• Document intended survey audiences in your send checklist so collaborators know what recipients will receive.

• If you manage newsletters for multiple audiences, maintain a library of surveys grouped by ACG scope to speed up selection.

• When adding surveys intended for broad audiences, coordinate with a Feature Owner or App Manager to confirm the survey's target audience and reduce post-send surprises.

Troubleshooting

A survey you expect to see is not appearing in the editor

• What happened: The survey's target audience is outside your access scope. Your role determines which surveys are visible to you in the editor.

• What to do: Check whether you are the survey's Feature Owner or App Manager — if so, all surveys should be visible to you. If you are a Feature Manager, confirm that the survey's ACG matches your managed audience. If neither applies, ask a Feature Owner or App Manager to verify or adjust the survey's audience, or to place it on your behalf.

A survey is showing as blurred with a restricted message

• What happened: The survey was added by a collaborator with broader access, and your role does not include ABAC rights to that survey.

• What to do: Coordinate with a Feature Owner or App Manager if you need to change or replace the survey. Do not attempt to remove it without confirming with the original editor, as it may be intentionally placed for recipients within its target audience.

Recipients are not seeing the survey after the newsletter is sent

• What happened: Editor visibility may be broader than recipient visibility by design. Owners and managers can see surveys in the editor that recipients may not be entitled to see. Recipients only see surveys that include them in the target audience.

• What to do: Use Preview as a recipient from each key audience before sending to validate visibility. If the survey is not reaching the intended recipients, ask a Feature Owner or App Manager to verify the survey's target audience configuration.

FAQs

Q: Does what I see in the editor match what recipients will see?

Ans: Not necessarily. Editor visibility may be broader for Feature Owners and App Managers. Recipient delivery always follows the survey's audience targeting, regardless of what is visible during editing.

Q: How do I check who is in a survey's target audience before placing it?

Ans: Where available, use the audience details control in the editor to review the survey's target audience. Full audience-based filtering in pickers may be limited, but ABAC still governs what you can place.

Q: Do ABAC restrictions apply in Heatmap view as well?

Ans: Yes. Heatmap view applies the same ABAC indicators as the editor, including blurred tiles and restricted messages.

Q: Why was the lock icon replaced with a crossed-eye icon?

Ans: The crossed-eye icon was introduced to reduce confusion with private items. It specifically indicates an ABAC-driven access restriction, making the distinction clearer for editors.

Q: Can a Standard User remove a survey placed by a Feature Owner?

No. If a survey placed by an editor with broader access falls outside your scope, it appears blurred and restricted. You cannot interact with it. Coordinate with a Feature Owner or App Manager to make any changes.