diff --git a/src/com/google/enterprise/adaptor/database/DatabaseAdaptor.java b/src/com/google/enterprise/adaptor/database/DatabaseAdaptor.java
index f4d8c5c..def6006 100644
--- a/src/com/google/enterprise/adaptor/database/DatabaseAdaptor.java
+++ b/src/com/google/enterprise/adaptor/database/DatabaseAdaptor.java
@@ -18,6 +18,9 @@
 import com.google.enterprise.adaptor.AbstractAdaptor;
 import com.google.enterprise.adaptor.Acl;
 import com.google.enterprise.adaptor.AdaptorContext;
+import com.google.enterprise.adaptor.AuthnIdentity;
+import com.google.enterprise.adaptor.AuthzAuthority;
+import com.google.enterprise.adaptor.AuthzStatus;
 import com.google.enterprise.adaptor.Config;
 import com.google.enterprise.adaptor.DocId;
 import com.google.enterprise.adaptor.DocIdPusher;
@@ -186,6 +189,12 @@ public void init(AdaptorContext context) throws Exception {
     if (encodeDocId) {
       log.config("adaptor runs in lister-only mode");
     }
+
+    if (aclSql == null) {
+      context.setAuthzAuthority(new AllPublic());
+    } else {
+      context.setAuthzAuthority(new AllPrivate());
+    }
   }
 
   /** Get all doc ids from database. */
@@ -687,4 +696,28 @@ public String toString() {
       return text;
     }
   }
+
+  private static class AllPublic implements AuthzAuthority {
+    public Map<DocId, AuthzStatus> isUserAuthorized(AuthnIdentity userIdentity,
+        Collection<DocId> ids) throws IOException {
+      Map<DocId, AuthzStatus> result =
+          new HashMap<DocId, AuthzStatus>(ids.size() * 2);
+      for (DocId docId : ids) {
+        result.put(docId, AuthzStatus.PERMIT);
+      }
+      return Collections.unmodifiableMap(result);
+    }
+  }
+
+  private static class AllPrivate implements AuthzAuthority {
+    public Map<DocId, AuthzStatus> isUserAuthorized(AuthnIdentity userIdentity,
+        Collection<DocId> ids) throws IOException {
+      Map<DocId, AuthzStatus> result =
+          new HashMap<DocId, AuthzStatus>(ids.size() * 2);
+      for (DocId docId : ids) {
+        result.put(docId, AuthzStatus.DENY);
+      }
+      return Collections.unmodifiableMap(result);
+    }
+  }
 }