MOSS Audiences aren't security objects

Don't use MOSS 2007 audiences as security objects. They are to be used for audience targeting only. You can target any list item or web part directly to a rule based audience. This enables rule based audiences to be created and maintained in the Shared service provider, while letting an individual site owner use these defined audiences on individuel sites.

Audiences are a global concept, whereas MOSS(Sharepoint) Groups are a relatively local concept. You might reuse the same audience across multiple portals, which will each have their own groups. There is sadly no way to define an audience rule based on groups. On most of the places where you use audience targeting, you can also use SharePoint Groups to target audiences.

Audiences are not used to assign rights and permissions. MOSS uses site groups to assign rights and permissions to users within the portal. Audiences are used to manage how content is distributed, not to enforce security. They push information to a user, not restrict or permit access to information.

© Copyright 2007, Tomas Elfving