diff --git a/perfact/zodbsync/tests/test_sync.py b/perfact/zodbsync/tests/test_sync.py
index 04d5936..177a60b 100644
--- a/perfact/zodbsync/tests/test_sync.py
+++ b/perfact/zodbsync/tests/test_sync.py
@@ -2023,3 +2023,86 @@ def test_layer_update(self):
             self.run('layer-hash', layer)
             self.run('layer-update', ident)
             assert self.app.Test.title == 'Changed'
+
+    def test_keep_acl(self):
+        '''
+        Make sure deletions on top level acl_users are NOT synced into
+        Data.fs
+
+        User folders living somewhere else in the application may be
+        deleted though.
+        '''
+        acl_path = os.path.join(
+            self.repo.path,
+            '__root__',
+            'acl_users',
+        )
+        shutil.rmtree(acl_path)
+        self.run('playback', '/')
+
+        # this playback will fail horribly if acl_users is gone!
+        self.run('playback', '/')
+
+        # make sure acl_users in toplevel is still present
+        assert 'acl_users' in self.app.objectIds()
+
+        # now create dummy module with its own acl_users folder
+        with self.runner.sync.tm:
+            self.app.manage_addFolder(id='some_module')
+            self.app.some_module.manage_addUserFolder()
+
+        self.run('record', '/')
+
+        assert 'acl_users' in self.app.some_module.objectIds()
+
+        module_acl = os.path.join(
+            self.repo.path,
+            '__root__',
+            'some_module',
+            'acl_users',
+        )
+        shutil.rmtree(module_acl)
+        self.run('playback', '/')
+        assert 'acl_users' not in self.app.some_module.objectIds()
+
+    def test_keep_acl_norecurse(self):
+        '''
+        test_keep_acl but slightly altered for norecurse,
+        aka playing back single objects instead of the whole
+        object tree
+        '''
+        acl_path = os.path.join(
+            self.repo.path,
+            '__root__',
+            'acl_users',
+        )
+        shutil.rmtree(acl_path)
+        self.run('playback', '--no-recurse', '/acl_users')
+
+        # make sure acl_users in toplevel is still present
+        assert 'acl_users' in self.app.objectIds()
+
+        # now create dummy module with its own acl_users folder
+        with self.runner.sync.tm:
+            self.app.manage_addFolder(id='some_module')
+            self.app.some_module.manage_addFolder(id='something')
+            self.app.some_module.manage_addUserFolder()
+
+        self.run('record', '/')
+
+        assert 'acl_users' in self.app.some_module.objectIds()
+
+        module_acl = os.path.join(
+            self.repo.path,
+            '__root__',
+            'some_module',
+            'acl_users',
+        )
+        shutil.rmtree(module_acl)
+        self.run(
+            'playback',
+            '--no-recurse',
+            '/some_module',
+            '/some_module/acl_users',
+        )
+        assert 'acl_users' not in self.app.some_module.objectIds()
diff --git a/perfact/zodbsync/zodbsync.py b/perfact/zodbsync/zodbsync.py
index 05a1181..6babedb 100644
--- a/perfact/zodbsync/zodbsync.py
+++ b/perfact/zodbsync/zodbsync.py
@@ -766,6 +766,8 @@ def _playback_path(self, pathinfo):
                 return
 
         if fs_data is None:
+            if obj_id == 'acl_users' and path.startswith('/acl_users'):
+                return
             self.logger.info('Removing object ' + path)
             parent_obj.manage_delObjects(ids=[obj_id])
             return
@@ -784,7 +786,11 @@ def _playback_path(self, pathinfo):
             srv_contents = obj_contents(obj) if obj else []
 
             # Find IDs in Data.fs object not present in file system
-            del_ids = [a for a in srv_contents if a not in contents]
+            del_ids = [
+                a for a in srv_contents
+                if a not in contents and
+                not (obj == self.app and a == 'acl_users')
+            ]
             if del_ids:
                 self.logger.warning('Deleting objects ' + repr(del_ids))
                 obj.manage_delObjects(ids=del_ids)