diff --git a/apps/dav/lib/CardDAV/ContactsManager.php b/apps/dav/lib/CardDAV/ContactsManager.php
index bed1e676337dd..8b65b77fa1857 100644
--- a/apps/dav/lib/CardDAV/ContactsManager.php
+++ b/apps/dav/lib/CardDAV/ContactsManager.php
@@ -26,6 +26,7 @@
 namespace OCA\DAV\CardDAV;
 
 use OCP\Contacts\IManager;
+use OCP\IConfig;
 use OCP\IL10N;
 use OCP\IURLGenerator;
 
@@ -36,15 +37,19 @@ class ContactsManager {
 	/** @var IL10N  */
 	private $l10n;
 
+	/** @var IConfig */
+	private $config;
+
 	/**
 	 * ContactsManager constructor.
 	 *
 	 * @param CardDavBackend $backend
 	 * @param IL10N $l10n
 	 */
-	public function __construct(CardDavBackend $backend, IL10N $l10n) {
+	public function __construct(CardDavBackend $backend, IL10N $l10n, IConfig $config) {
 		$this->backend = $backend;
 		$this->l10n = $l10n;
+		$this->config = $config;
 	}
 
 	/**
@@ -63,6 +68,11 @@ public function setupContactsProvider(IManager $cm, $userId, IURLGenerator $urlG
 	 * @param IURLGenerator $urlGenerator
 	 */
 	public function setupSystemContactsProvider(IManager $cm, IURLGenerator $urlGenerator) {
+		$systemAddressBookExposed = $this->config->getAppValue('dav', 'system_addressbook_exposed', 'yes') === 'yes';
+		if (!$systemAddressBookExposed) {
+			return;
+		}
+
 		$addressBooks = $this->backend->getAddressBooksForUser("principals/system/system");
 		$this->register($cm, $addressBooks, $urlGenerator);
 	}
diff --git a/apps/dav/tests/unit/CardDAV/ContactsManagerTest.php b/apps/dav/tests/unit/CardDAV/ContactsManagerTest.php
index 32a0946d2b908..809956e7f8609 100644
--- a/apps/dav/tests/unit/CardDAV/ContactsManagerTest.php
+++ b/apps/dav/tests/unit/CardDAV/ContactsManagerTest.php
@@ -28,6 +28,7 @@
 use OCA\DAV\CardDAV\CardDavBackend;
 use OCA\DAV\CardDAV\ContactsManager;
 use OCP\Contacts\IManager;
+use OCP\IConfig;
 use OCP\IL10N;
 use OCP\IURLGenerator;
 use Test\TestCase;
@@ -36,16 +37,20 @@ class ContactsManagerTest extends TestCase {
 	public function test(): void {
 		/** @var IManager | \PHPUnit\Framework\MockObject\MockObject $cm */
 		$cm = $this->getMockBuilder(IManager::class)->disableOriginalConstructor()->getMock();
-		$cm->expects($this->exactly(2))->method('registerAddressBook');
+		$cm->expects($this->exactly(1))->method('registerAddressBook');
+		/** @var IURLGenerator&MockObject $urlGenerator */
 		$urlGenerator = $this->getMockBuilder(IURLGenerator::class)->disableOriginalConstructor()->getMock();
 		/** @var CardDavBackend | \PHPUnit\Framework\MockObject\MockObject $backEnd */
 		$backEnd = $this->getMockBuilder(CardDavBackend::class)->disableOriginalConstructor()->getMock();
 		$backEnd->method('getAddressBooksForUser')->willReturn([
 			['{DAV:}displayname' => 'Test address book', 'uri' => 'default'],
 		]);
+		/** @var IConfig&MockObject $config */
+		$config = $this->createMock(IConfig::class);
 
+		/** @var IL10N&MockObject $l */
 		$l = $this->createMock(IL10N::class);
-		$app = new ContactsManager($backEnd, $l);
+		$app = new ContactsManager($backEnd, $l, $config);
 		$app->setupContactsProvider($cm, 'user01', $urlGenerator);
 	}
 }
diff --git a/build/integration/features/contacts-menu.feature b/build/integration/features/contacts-menu.feature
index d058644867c7b..a88444fa5a774 100644
--- a/build/integration/features/contacts-menu.feature
+++ b/build/integration/features/contacts-menu.feature
@@ -192,3 +192,23 @@ Feature: contacts-menu
     And searching for contacts matching with "test"
     # Disabled because it regularly fails on drone:
     # Then the list of searched contacts has "0" contacts
+
+  Scenario: users cannot list other users from the system address book
+    Given user "user1" exists
+    And As an "admin"
+    And Deleting the user "user0"
+    And user "user0" exists
+    And invoking occ with "config:app:set dav system_addressbook_exposed --value false"
+    And Logging in using web as "user1"
+    And searching for contacts matching with "test"
+    Then the list of searched contacts has "0" contacts
+    And invoking occ with "config:app:delete dav system_addressbook_exposed"
+
+  Scenario: users can list other users from the system address book
+    Given user "user1" exists
+    And As an "admin"
+    And Deleting the user "user0"
+    And user "user0" exists
+    And Logging in using web as "user1"
+    And searching for contacts matching with ""
+    Then the list of searched contacts has "1" contacts