A method and system for controlling which content gets precedence and is replicated. A replica set is comprised of a set of resources. Each resource is associated with resource data and resource meta-data. For files-based systems, resource data includes file contents and attributes, while resource meta-data includes additional attributes that are relevant for negotiating synchronization during replication. An extra field called a "fence value" is added to the meta-data associated with each resource. During synchronization, first fence values are compared. The resource with the highest fence value includes the content that is controlling and replicated. If fence values are equal (and greater than a particular value), the controlling resource is determined based on other meta-data.