Steps to replicate the issue (include links if applicable):
- Open the Android or iOS Wikipedia app
- Export a reading list and copy the link
- Log in to Wikipedia on desktop
- Open the link in a web browser
What happens?:
The Special:ReadingLists page opens with a modal to export the list on iOS or Android.
Behind the modal, the imported list is visible.
What should have happened instead?:
Shareable lists should not be visible on web. Previously, the page looked like this.
When ReadingListsAnonymizedPreviews is disabled:
- The page should appear as currently (no blur and a cancel+close button)
When ReadingListsAnonymizedPreviews is enabled:
- It should not be possible to close the Codex dialog - no cancel or close button
- The title of the list should not be visible at all for legal reasons
- The description of the list should not be visible at all for legal reasons
- The contents of the list should not be visible at all for legal reasons
Desired result
Considered and rejected solutions
However, the patch that caused this issue maybe too large to revert, so we should explore forward fixes to this problem.
[rejected: too large to revert]
Blur the results
This is not sufficient from a legal POV according to Jaz. Legal team gave us a set of terms and conditions for releasing the feature.
Possible but we'd also need to ensure the dialog was not closeable as it would look strange to have a blank page.
| Render the users default list in place of the shareable list |
Rejected: would be confusing for users as it looks like they are importing their own list or something broke in the workflow.
Requirement
On desktop web, opening a shareable Reading List link must not reveal the list contents.
- When ReadingListsAnonymizedPreviews is disabled: the page shows the current Codex export dialog (no blur) with Cancel and Close buttons, and no list details visible.
- When ReadingListsAnonymizedPreviews is enabled: the Codex dialog has no Cancel or Close buttons, and the list title, description, and items must not be visible or present in the DOM.
BDD
Feature: Prevent visibility of shareable Reading List contents on desktop
Scenario: Flag disabled – show export dialog with Cancel and Close, no list details visible
Given I open a shareable Reading List link on desktop
When ReadingListsAnonymizedPreviews is disabled
Then the Codex export dialog is displayed with Cancel and Close buttons
And no list title, description, or items are present in the page
Scenario: Flag enabled – show blocking export dialog, no list details visible
Given I open a shareable Reading List link on desktop
When ReadingListsAnonymizedPreviews is enabled
Then the Codex export dialog is displayed without Cancel or Close buttons
And no list title, description, or items are present in the pageTest Steps
Test Case 1: Flag disabled – export dialog shows with Cancel/Close and no list data
- Open a shareable Reading List link in desktop browser with ReadingListsAnonymizedPreviews disabled.
- Inspect the page in the browser and DevTools.
- AC1: The export dialog is shown with Cancel and Close buttons visible in the DOM.
- AC2: The list contents (title, description, items) are not visible and not present in the DOM.
Test Case 2: Flag enabled – export dialog is blocking with no list data
- Open a shareable Reading List link in desktop browser with ReadingListsAnonymizedPreviews enabled.
- Inspect the page in the browser and DevTools.
- AC3: The export dialog is shown without Cancel or Close buttons (not present in DOM).
- AC4: The list title and description are not visible and not present in the DOM.
- AC5: The list items are not visible and not present in the DOM.
QA Results - Prod
| AC | Status | Details |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | ✅ | T402050#11120239 |
| 2 | ❓ | T402050#11109308 |
| 3 | ✅ | T402050#11109308 |
| 4 | ✅ | T402050#11109308 |
| 5 | ✅ | T402050#11109308 |
Software version (on Special:Version page; skip for WMF-hosted wikis like Wikipedia):
This change was introduced as part of a large patch to refactor the Special:ReadingLists page.
Other information (browser name/version, screenshots, etc.):
