diff --git a/permission/types/util.go b/permission/types/util.go
index fddf0b9eb2b161b1f4df36733afcba29c429ae75..9f9000d11fec0cc7765530fec929c76334e26da3 100644
--- a/permission/types/util.go
+++ b/permission/types/util.go
@@ -19,7 +19,7 @@ package types
 // than zero to set the permission.  For all unmentioned permissions the ZeroBasePermissions
 // is defaulted to.
 // TODO: [ben] re-evaluate the use of int for setting the permission.
-func ConvertPermissionsMapAndRolesToAccountPermissions(permissions map[string]int, roles []string) (*AccountPermissions, error) {
+func ConvertPermissionsMapAndRolesToAccountPermissions(permissions map[string]bool, roles []string) (*AccountPermissions, error) {
 	var err error
 	accountPermissions := &AccountPermissions{}
 	accountPermissions.Base, err = convertPermissionsMapStringIntToBasePermissions(permissions)
@@ -32,7 +32,7 @@ func ConvertPermissionsMapAndRolesToAccountPermissions(permissions map[string]in
 
 // convertPermissionsMapStringIntToBasePermissions converts a map of string-integer pairs to
 // BasePermissions.
-func convertPermissionsMapStringIntToBasePermissions(permissions map[string]int) (BasePermissions, error) {
+func convertPermissionsMapStringIntToBasePermissions(permissions map[string]bool) (BasePermissions, error) {
 	// initialise basePermissions as ZeroBasePermissions
 	basePermissions := ZeroBasePermissions
 
@@ -42,7 +42,7 @@ func convertPermissionsMapStringIntToBasePermissions(permissions map[string]int)
 			return basePermissions, err
 		}
 		// sets the permissions bitflag and the setbit flag for the permission.
-		basePermissions.Set(permissionsFlag, value > 0)
+		basePermissions.Set(permissionsFlag, value)
 	}
 
 	return basePermissions, nil