diff --git a/mod/events.php b/mod/events.php
index d6701ce44..d1d3d758b 100644
--- a/mod/events.php
+++ b/mod/events.php
@@ -18,6 +18,7 @@ use Friendica\DI;
 use Friendica\Model\Event;
 use Friendica\Model\Item;
 use Friendica\Model\Profile;
+use Friendica\Model\User;
 use Friendica\Module\Security\Login;
 use Friendica\Util\DateTimeFormat;
 use Friendica\Util\Strings;
@@ -427,7 +428,7 @@ function events_content(App $a)
 	// Passed parameters overrides anything found in the DB
 	if (in_array($mode, ['edit', 'new', 'copy'])) {
 		if (empty($orig_event)) {
-			$orig_event = [];
+			$orig_event = User::getById(local_user(), ['allow_cid', 'allow_gid', 'deny_cid', 'deny_gid']);;
 		}
 
 		// In case of an error the browser is redirected back here, with these parameters filled in with the previous values
diff --git a/src/Core/ACL.php b/src/Core/ACL.php
index a4b4a9919..d4148d6ba 100644
--- a/src/Core/ACL.php
+++ b/src/Core/ACL.php
@@ -206,11 +206,6 @@ class ACL
 		return $o;
 	}
 
-	private static function fixACL(&$item)
-	{
-		$item = intval(str_replace(['<', '>'], ['', ''], $item));
-	}
-
 	/**
 	 * Return the default permission of the provided user array
 	 *
@@ -220,32 +215,13 @@ class ACL
 	 */
 	public static function getDefaultUserPermissions(array $user = null)
 	{
-		$matches = [];
-
-		$acl_regex = '/<([0-9]+)>/i';
-
-		preg_match_all($acl_regex, $user['allow_cid'] ?? '', $matches);
-		$allow_cid = $matches[1];
-		preg_match_all($acl_regex, $user['allow_gid'] ?? '', $matches);
-		$allow_gid = $matches[1];
-		preg_match_all($acl_regex, $user['deny_cid'] ?? '', $matches);
-		$deny_cid = $matches[1];
-		preg_match_all($acl_regex, $user['deny_gid'] ?? '', $matches);
-		$deny_gid = $matches[1];
-
-		// Reformats the ACL data so that it is accepted by the JS frontend
-		array_walk($allow_cid, 'self::fixACL');
-		array_walk($allow_gid, 'self::fixACL');
-		array_walk($deny_cid, 'self::fixACL');
-		array_walk($deny_gid, 'self::fixACL');
-
-		Contact::pruneUnavailable($allow_cid);
+		$aclFormatter = DI::aclFormatter();
 
 		return [
-			'allow_cid' => $allow_cid,
-			'allow_gid' => $allow_gid,
-			'deny_cid' => $deny_cid,
-			'deny_gid' => $deny_gid,
+			'allow_cid' => Contact::pruneUnavailable($aclFormatter->expand($user['allow_cid'] ?? '')),
+			'allow_gid' => $aclFormatter->expand($user['allow_gid'] ?? ''),
+			'deny_cid'  => $aclFormatter->expand($user['deny_cid']  ?? ''),
+			'deny_gid'  => $aclFormatter->expand($user['deny_gid']  ?? ''),
 		];
 	}
 
diff --git a/src/Model/Contact.php b/src/Model/Contact.php
index 10cf4bf34..0540bf7be 100644
--- a/src/Model/Contact.php
+++ b/src/Model/Contact.php
@@ -2682,26 +2682,23 @@ class Contact
 	 * Remove the unavailable contact ids from the provided list
 	 *
 	 * @param array $contact_ids Contact id list
+	 * @return array
 	 * @throws \Exception
 	 */
-	public static function pruneUnavailable(array &$contact_ids)
+	public static function pruneUnavailable(array $contact_ids)
 	{
 		if (empty($contact_ids)) {
-			return;
+			return [];
 		}
 
-		$str = DBA::escape(implode(',', $contact_ids));
+		$contacts = Contact::selectToArray(['id'], [
+			'id'      => $contact_ids,
+			'blocked' => false,
+			'pending' => false,
+			'archive' => false,
+		]);
 
-		$stmt = DBA::p("SELECT `id` FROM `contact` WHERE `id` IN ( " . $str . ") AND `blocked` = 0 AND `pending` = 0 AND `archive` = 0");
-
-		$return = [];
-		while($contact = DBA::fetch($stmt)) {
-			$return[] = $contact['id'];
-		}
-
-		DBA::close($stmt);
-
-		$contact_ids = $return;
+		return array_column($contacts, 'id');
 	}
 
 	/**
diff --git a/src/Model/Group.php b/src/Model/Group.php
index c984f0032..b87458756 100644
--- a/src/Model/Group.php
+++ b/src/Model/Group.php
@@ -384,7 +384,7 @@ class Group
 		DBA::close($stmt);
 
 		if ($check_dead) {
-			Contact::pruneUnavailable($return);
+			$return = Contact::pruneUnavailable($return);
 		}
 
 		return $return;
diff --git a/src/Module/Item/Compose.php b/src/Module/Item/Compose.php
index 2364d6483..d30b0d86f 100644
--- a/src/Module/Item/Compose.php
+++ b/src/Module/Item/Compose.php
@@ -5,22 +5,15 @@ namespace Friendica\Module\Item;
 use Friendica\BaseModule;
 use Friendica\Content\Feature;
 use Friendica\Core\ACL;
-use Friendica\Core\Config;
 use Friendica\Core\Hook;
 use Friendica\Core\L10n;
 use Friendica\Core\Renderer;
-use Friendica\Core\System;
 use Friendica\Core\Theme;
-use Friendica\Database\DBA;
 use Friendica\DI;
-use Friendica\Model\Contact;
-use Friendica\Model\FileTag;
-use Friendica\Model\Group;
 use Friendica\Model\Item;
 use Friendica\Model\User;
 use Friendica\Module\Security\Login;
 use Friendica\Network\HTTPException\NotImplementedException;
-use Friendica\Util\ACLFormatter;
 use Friendica\Util\Crypto;
 
 class Compose extends BaseModule