Patent ID: 8752138

Claim:
A method, executed by one or more computing devices, for providing access to one or more shared objects to a user within a collaboration session, the method comprising: receiving an indication of a request from a user to receive access to one of one or more shared objects within a collaboration session, each shared object of the one or more shared objects having a corresponding access control list, the access control list for each shared object of the one or more shared objects including one or more authorized users having access to the shared object of the one or more shared objects, wherein the user is one of one or more users currently participating in the collaboration session; determining, using the one or more computing devices, whether the user is authorized to access the one of the one or more shared objects by referencing the access control list associated with the one of the one or more shared objects in response to receiving the indication of the request, wherein contact information of the user is not accessible by the one or more authorized users, while the user is participating in the collaboration session, if the user is not an authorized user listed in the access control list associated with the one of the one or more shared objects; and providing a notification to the user in response to receiving the indication of the request when it is determined that the user is not authorized to access the one or more shared objects, the notification describing that contact information of the user will be accessible by the one or more authorized users having access to the one or more shared objects; adding the user as an authorized user within the access control list for each of the one or more shared objects when it is determined that the user is not authorized to access the one of the one or more shared objects upon receiving an indication that the user has agreed to the notification, such that the user is provided access to the one or more shared objects, wherein the adding the user as an authorized user within the access control list for each of the one or more shared objects causes the contact information of the user to be accessible by the one or more authorized users.