Aspects of the invention pertain to analyzing and modifying access control lists that are used in computer networks. Access control lists may have many individual entries that indicate whether information can be passed between certain devices in a computer network. The access control lists may include redundant or conflicting entries. An aspect of the invention converts an order-dependent control list into an order-free equivalent. Redundant entries are identified and removed without adversely affecting the access control list. Redundancy may be identified by evaluating the volume contraction ratio, which is the ratio of the volume of spin-off entries to specific original entry in the access control list. This ratio reflects the extent of order-dependent impact on that entry in a given access control list.