diff --git a/app/assets/images/MMCCicon_edit_permission_black.png b/app/assets/images/MMCCicon_edit_permission_black.png
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..e87d006e
Binary files /dev/null and b/app/assets/images/MMCCicon_edit_permission_black.png differ
diff --git a/app/assets/javascripts/Jit/graphsettings-event-handlers.js b/app/assets/javascripts/Jit/graphsettings-event-handlers.js
index 6817e040..f333bb52 100644
--- a/app/assets/javascripts/Jit/graphsettings-event-handlers.js
+++ b/app/assets/javascripts/Jit/graphsettings-event-handlers.js
@@ -52,6 +52,14 @@ function selectEdgeOnRightClickHandler(adj, e) {
     if (userid != null) menustring += '<li class="rc-delete">Delete</li>';
     if (mapid && userid != null) menustring += '<li class="rc-remove">Remove from Map</li>';
     menustring += '<li class="rc-hide">Hide until refresh</li>';
+    if (userid) {
+      var options = '<ul><li class="changeP toCommons">commons</li> \
+                         <li class="changeP toPublic">public</li> \
+                         <li class="changeP toPrivate">private</li> \
+                     </ul>';
+      
+      menustring += '<li class="rc-permission">Change permissions' + options + '</li>';
+    }
     
     menustring += '</ul>';
     rightclickmenu.innerHTML = menustring;
@@ -96,6 +104,13 @@ function selectEdgeOnRightClickHandler(adj, e) {
       hideSelectedEdges();
       hideSelectedNodes();
     });
+    
+    // change the permission of all the selected nodes and synapses that you were the originator of
+    $('.rc-permission li').click(function() {
+      $('.rightclickmenu').remove();
+      // $(this).text() will be 'commons' 'public' or 'private'
+      updateSelectedPermissions( $(this).text() );
+    });
       
   } //selectEdgeOnRightClickHandler
 
@@ -236,6 +251,14 @@ function selectNodeOnClickHandler(node, e) {
     
     if (!mapid) menustring += '<li class="rc-center">Center This Topic</li>';
     menustring += '<li class="rc-popout">Open In New Tab</li>';
+    if (userid) {
+      var options = '<ul><li class="changeP toCommons">commons</li> \
+                         <li class="changeP toPublic">public</li> \
+                         <li class="changeP toPrivate">private</li> \
+                     </ul>';
+      
+      menustring += '<li class="rc-permission">Change permissions' + options + '</li>';
+    }
     
     menustring += '</ul>';
     rightclickmenu.innerHTML = menustring;
@@ -293,6 +316,13 @@ function selectNodeOnClickHandler(node, e) {
       var win=window.open('/topics/' + node.id, '_blank');
       win.focus();
     });
+    
+    // change the permission of all the selected nodes and synapses that you were the originator of
+    $('.rc-permission li').click(function() {
+      $('.rightclickmenu').remove();
+      // $(this).text() will be 'commons' 'public' or 'private'
+      updateSelectedPermissions( $(this).text() );
+    });
       
   } //selectNodeOnRightClickHandler
 
@@ -533,3 +563,45 @@ function touchPanZoomHandler(eventInfo, e) {
     }
     
 }
+
+function updateSelectedPermissions(permission) {
+  
+  
+  if ( $('.notice.metamaps').length == 0 ) {
+    $('body').prepend('<div class="notice metamaps" />');
+  }
+  $('.notice.metamaps').hide().html('Working...').fadeIn('fast');
+  
+  // variables to keep track of how many nodes and synapses you had the ability to change the permission of
+  var nCount = 0, sCount = 0;
+  
+  // change the permission of the selected synapses, if logged in user is the original creator
+  var l = MetamapsModel.selectedEdges.length;
+  for (var i = l-1; i >= 0; i -= 1) {
+    var edge = MetamapsModel.selectedEdges[i];
+    
+    if (edge.getData('userid') == userid) {
+      updateSynapsePermission(edge,permission);
+      sCount++;
+    }
+  }
+  
+  // change the permission of the selected topics, if logged in user is the original creator
+  var l = MetamapsModel.selectedNodes.length;
+  for (var i = l-1; i >= 0; i -= 1) {
+    var node = MetamapsModel.selectedNodes[i];
+    
+    if (node.getData('userid') == userid) {
+      updateTopicPermission(node,permission);
+      nCount++;
+    }
+  }
+  
+  var nString = nCount == 1 ? (nCount.toString() + ' topic and ') : (nCount.toString() + ' topics and ');
+  var sString = sCount == 1 ? (sCount.toString() + ' synapse') : (sCount.toString() + ' synapses');
+  
+  $('.notice.metamaps').html(nString + sString + ' you created updated to ' + permission)
+  setTimeout( function() {
+    $('.notice.metamaps').fadeOut('fast');
+  }, 8000);
+}
diff --git a/app/assets/stylesheets/application.css b/app/assets/stylesheets/application.css
index 082c52a9..f4680e92 100644
--- a/app/assets/stylesheets/application.css
+++ b/app/assets/stylesheets/application.css
@@ -1291,13 +1291,13 @@ left: 13px;
  color: black;
 }
 
-.rightclickmenu > ul {
+.rightclickmenu ul {
   padding: 2px;
 }
 
 .rightclickmenu ul li {
  list-style: none;
-padding: 3px 45px 3px 30px;
+padding: 3px 10px 3px 30px;
 font-family: arial, sans-serif;
 font-size: 17px;
 line-height: 17px;
@@ -1305,8 +1305,14 @@ background-repeat: no-repeat;
 background-size: 20px 20px;
 background-position: 5px 2px;
 }
+.rightclickmenu ul li:nth-child(odd){ 
+		background-color: #FFF;
+}
+.rightclickmenu ul li:nth-child(even){ 
+		background-color: #EEE;
+}
 .rightclickmenu ul li:hover {
- background-color: #e4e4e4;
+ background-color: #BBB;
  background-position: 7px 2px;
  cursor:pointer;
 }
@@ -1322,6 +1328,33 @@ background-position: 5px 2px;
 .rightclickmenu .rc-popout {
   background-image: url(MMCCicon_pop-out_black.png);
 }
+.rightclickmenu .rc-permission {
+  background-image: url(MMCCicon_edit_permission_black.png);
+  position:relative;
+}
+
+.rightclickmenu .rc-permission ul {
+  display:none;
+  background:white;
+  top: 0;
+  left:100%;
+  position:absolute;
+  border-bottom-left-radius: 2px;
+  border-bottom-right-radius: 2px;
+  border-top-right-radius: 2px;
+}
+.rightclickmenu .rc-permission:hover ul {
+  display:block;
+}
+.rightclickmenu .rc-permission .toCommons {
+  background-image: url(MMCCicon_commons.png);
+}
+.rightclickmenu .rc-permission .toPublic {
+  background-image: url(MMCCicon_public.png);
+}
+.rightclickmenu .rc-permission .toPrivate {
+  background-image: url(MMCCicon_private.png);
+}
 
 .rightclickmenu p {
   padding:7px;