Acting For Someone Else

GeoHazardWatch can let one person act for another, for example when you look after a parent's account for them. The person who gives access chooses what you may do for them, and can stop it at any time. You never need their password: you sign in as yourself and then choose to act for them.

This is only available if your site's administrator has turned it on. If it is off, none of the steps below appear.

Letting Someone Act For You

Open your Profile and find the Proxy access section. To give someone access:

1 Under Give someone access, type their name or username and pick them from the list.
2 Tick what they may do for you. Only things you can do yourself are listed.
3 If you like, choose an End date. Access stops at the end of that day, in your own time zone. Leave it empty to keep access until you revoke it.
4 Click Give access. You may be asked to sign in again first, to confirm it is you.

The access you give is always limited:

They can never do more than they are allowed to do on their own account either.
Everything they do is recorded as done by them for you.
If you tick Let someone acting for you into your vaults, they can open your vaults, including encrypted ones. See #Sharing Your Encrypted Vaults below.
If you tick Let someone act for you, and stop them, a warning reminds you that they will be able to give other people access to your account too. Only tick it if you want that.

The Proxy access section lists everyone who can act for you, what each may do, and when their access ends, shown in your own time zone. To stop someone, click Revoke next to their name. It takes effect straight away.

If you cannot set it up yourself, your site's administrator can do it for you. Access an administrator gives can never include your vaults or anything encrypted; only you can add that.

Your encrypted vaults are shared only when you choose to, and only by you:

Unlock your private store first. While it is locked, the vaults choice cannot be ticked, and the form says why.
The person you choose needs a private store of their own, unlocked at least once. If they do not have one yet, you are told so: give access without your vaults for now, or ask them to set one up and try again.
They do not need to be online. Your access is ready for them the next time they sign in.
If you have no encrypted vaults, nothing needs unlocking: they get your other vaults.

The Proxy access section shows "Including your encrypted vaults" next to anyone who can open them. Revoking their access takes your encrypted vaults back straight away.

Access given before encrypted vaults could be shared does not include them. To share them, revoke that access and give it again with your store unlocked.

Choosing Whom to Act For

When someone has let you act for them, you are asked after you sign in:

1 Sign in as yourself, the way you usually do.
2 The Act for someone else page lists Yourself and each person you may act for, with what you may do for them and when your access ends.
3 Click Act for next to the person, or Continue to carry on as yourself.

You are then taken to where you were going. To change your choice later, use Act as at the top of any page: pick a person, or Yourself, and click Switch. Your Profile also lists everyone you can act for, with a button to the Act for someone else page.

While You Are Acting For Someone

Every page shows Acting for and the person's name at the top, so you always know whose account you are using. Everything you do is done on their account, and it is recorded as done by you for them: their history shows both names.

You can only do what both of these allow: what they gave you, and what you are allowed to do yourself. If a change asks you to confirm it is you, you sign in again as yourself.

If they shared their encrypted vaults with you, those open while your own private store is unlocked. If yours is locked, switch back to yourself, unlock it, and act for them again. They close again when you switch back or sign out.

Tokens and Devices For Them

While you act for someone, you can set up an agent token or connect a device for them, if the access they gave you allows it:

To make an agent token for them, their access must include Make and revoke your own agent tokens. See Using Tokens.
To connect a device for them, such as a TV that shows a code to enter, their access must include Change your password, email and sign-in methods, and approve devices. You may be asked to sign in again as yourself first.

The token or device belongs to them, not to you. It can only do what both of you are allowed to do and what their access to you includes. Their My tokens and devices list shows it with "Approved by" and your name, so they can always see who set it up, and revoke it.

While you act for someone you cannot sign in to an app with their account. Switch back to yourself first.

Switching Back

Click Switch back next to Acting for at the top of any page, choose Yourself under Act as, or choose Yourself on the Act for someone else page. Switching back always works.

Signing out also ends it. The next time you sign in, you start as yourself and are asked again.

When Access Ends

If the person stops your access, or its end date passes, you are switched back to yourself straight away, on your next click. Nothing more is done on their account after that.

Any agent token or device you set up for them stops working at the same moment. When they revoke your access, those tokens and devices are revoked too, and leave their list.

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