The release candidate package running on all three server RC channels has a feature to add more access controls. We did not get much information on the feature. However Maestro Linden has posted more information in the SL Forum in response to questions.

Plus there were follow up questions and follow up answers. The idea is to make griefing harder and to give parcel owners more control. But, the controls for the feature are not in the current main SL Viewer. We will see them in a coming release. 

I’ve mixed Maestro’s writing into single response:

… I slightly misspoke about the feature change – it only affects parcel access controls.  The new feature is to allow a parcel to be configured to allow users to enter a parcel if they are members of the parcel’s group *or* have payment info on file.  This is meant to be a big help toward keeping griefers out, as they often will not add Payment information to their account and group limitations are often managed by the land manager.

This access configuration, which is already available at the estate level, involves enabling 3 options in ‘About Land’->’Access’:

• Allow public access
• Allow access only to Residents who: Have payment information on file
• Allow Group Access: <group>

With the current release viewer (3.6.4 (280048)), this combination of settings is not possible to set in ‘About Land’; enabling ‘Allow public access’ causes ‘Allow group access’ to become disabled.  The upcoming viewer change will make these two settings independent in the UI.

Here’s how the logic plays out:

1. 1.       “Allow public access” means that avatars/groups do not need to be explicitly white listed to visit your parcel.
2. 2.       The “Allow access only to Residents who: Have payment info on file” option is only available when (1) is set (this is also the classic behavior). 
3. 3.       The “Allow group access: <group name>” setting additionally allows group members to access your parcel, except for those on the ban list.

With only (1) and (2) set, only those with payment info on file can visit your parcel; there is no way to allow your friend/alt who doesn’t have payment info on file to access the parcel. 

With (1), (2), and (3) set, you allow two sets of people in:

• ‘trusted’ accounts, who belong to the parcel’s group

•  any account with ‘payment info on file’ (these users probably aren’t zero-day griefer accounts)