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I believe data explorer is enabling users to get around restrictions, as with a simple query, users with less than 1000 rep can get vote counts(the ones unlocked by Trusted User), (see this query), as well as many kinds of votes or possibly even flags(line 4 on this query, or even that number changed to get scarier vote statistics). I believe that the system should be revised denying access to sensitive data to users that don't have sufficient rep on the site they are looking at.

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    The only thing on the site that is 'private' is the stuff that moderators see, which is both fairly specific and governed by an NDA.
    – jrg
    Jun 19, 2012 at 20:26
  • Yes. Although the stuff I'm talking about isn't private, it still is a waste of reputation tracking code to make it available on StackExchange data explorer.
    – nanofarad
    Jun 19, 2012 at 20:28
  • It's all about ease of access. This isn't a problem.
    – jrg
    Jun 19, 2012 at 20:29
  • I'll accept the "No" answer when I can, in two days.
    – nanofarad
    Jun 19, 2012 at 20:31
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    The API also allows access to this information (up/down vote counts). Jun 19, 2012 at 20:55
  • It's not that it would be difficult to lock down. It's that there is no compelling reason to lock it down. Being able to display up and down votes counts is a feature that you get access to with a certain amount of reputation. The feature is what's rep-dependent, not the information that the feature is one way to access. Thought of that way, this is not really getting past new user restrictions at all. Jun 21, 2012 at 4:41
  • @jrg Can you tag this status-bydesign?
    – nanofarad
    Oct 23, 2012 at 0:27
  • @EliahKagan: Ah... but what about the UserScripts that actually do add this feature? Oct 24, 2012 at 1:55
  • Having read some MSO posts(I don't have links, sorry), it looks like everything that isn't blocked at the 10K or mod level is visible. The reason vote counts are blocked below 1000 rep is because it is a complex COUNT(........ query and is not stored in the post table, and as such, is very heavy on the database servers.
    – nanofarad
    Oct 24, 2012 at 10:33

1 Answer 1

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No

We should allow users to get past new user restrictions.

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