first cut (untested)

src/UserSettingsStore.js

@@ -113,6 +113,34 @@ module.exports = {
         });
     },
 
+    getUrlPreviewsDisabled: function() {
+        var event = MatrixClientPeg.get().getAccountData("org.matrix.preview_urls");
+        return (event && event.disable);
+    },
+
+    setUrlPreviewsDisabled: function(disabled) {
+        // FIXME: handle errors
+        MatrixClientPeg.get().setAccountData("org.matrix.preview_urls", {
+            disable: disabled
+        });
+    },
+
+    getSyncedSettings: function() {
+        return MatrixClientPeg.get().getAccountData("im.vector.web.settings") || {};
+    },
+
+    getSyncedSetting: function(type) {
+        var settings = this.getSyncedSettings();
+        return settings[type];
+    },
+
+    setSyncedSetting: function(type, value) {
+        var settings = this.getSyncedSettings();
+        settings[type] = value;
+        // FIXME: handle errors
+        MatrixClientPeg.get().setAccountData("im.vector.web.settings", settings);
+    },
+
     isFeatureEnabled: function(feature: string): boolean {
         return localStorage.getItem(`mx_labs_feature_${feature}`) === 'true';
     },

src/components/structures/MessagePanel.js

@@ -44,6 +44,9 @@ module.exports = React.createClass({
         // ID of an event to highlight. If undefined, no event will be highlighted.
         highlightedEventId: React.PropTypes.string,
 
+        // Should we show URL Previews
+        showUrlPreview: React.PropTypes.bool,
+
         // event after which we should show a read marker
         readMarkerEventId: React.PropTypes.string,
 
@@ -365,6 +368,7 @@ module.exports = React.createClass({
                         onWidgetLoad={this._onWidgetLoad}
                         readReceipts={readReceipts}
                         readReceiptMap={this._readReceiptMap}
+                        showUrlPreview={this.props.showUrlPreview}
                         checkUnmounting={this._isUnmounting}
                         eventSendStatus={mxEv.status}
                         last={last} isSelectedEvent={highlight}/>

src/components/structures/RoomView.js

@@ -239,6 +239,8 @@ module.exports = React.createClass({
             MatrixClientPeg.get().stopPeeking();
             this._onRoomLoaded(this.state.room);
         }
+
+        _updatePreviewUrlVisibility(this.state.room);
     },
 
     shouldComponentUpdate: function(nextProps, nextState) {
@@ -341,6 +343,10 @@ module.exports = React.createClass({
         // ignore events for other rooms
         if (!this.state.room || room.roomId != this.state.room.roomId) return;
 
+        if (event.getType() === "org.matrix.room.preview_urls") {
+            _updatePreviewUrlVisibility(room);
+        }
+
         // ignore anything but real-time updates at the end of the room:
         // updates from pagination will happen when the paginate completes.
         if (toStartOfTimeline || !data || !data.liveEvent) return;
@@ -384,6 +390,40 @@ module.exports = React.createClass({
         }
     },
 
+    _updatePreviewUrlVisibility: function(room) {
+        // check our per-room overrides
+        var roomPreviewUrls = room.getAccountData("org.matrix.room.preview_urls");
+        if (roomPreviewUrls && roomPreviewUrls.disabled !== undefined) {
+            this.setState({
+                showUrlPreview: !roomPreviewUrls.disabled
+            });
+            return;
+        }
+
+        // check our global disable override
+        var userRoomPreviewUrls = MatrixClientPeg().get().getAccountData("org.matrix.preview_urls");
+        if (userRoomPreviewUrls && userRoomPreviewUrls.disabled) {
+            this.setState({
+                showUrlPreview: false
+            });
+            return;
+        }
+
+        // check the room state event
+        var roomStatePreviewUrls = room.currentState.getStateEvents('org.matrix.room.preview_urls', '');
+        if (roomStatePreviewUrls && roomStatePreviewUrls.disabled) {
+            this.setState({
+                showUrlPreview: false;
+            });
+            return;
+        }
+
+        // otherwise, we assume they're on.
+        this.setState({
+            showUrlPreview: true;
+        });
+    },
+
     onRoom: function(room) {
         // This event is fired when the room is 'stored' by the JS SDK, which
         // means it's now a fully-fledged room object ready to be used, so
@@ -416,12 +456,15 @@ module.exports = React.createClass({
 
     onRoomAccountData: function(room, event) {
         if (room.roomId == this.props.roomId) {
-            if (event.getType === "org.matrix.room.color_scheme") {
+            if (event.getType() === "org.matrix.room.color_scheme") {
                 var color_scheme = event.getContent();
                 // XXX: we should validate the event
                 console.log("Tinter.tint from onRoomAccountData");
                 Tinter.tint(color_scheme.primary_color, color_scheme.secondary_color);
             }
+            else if (event.getType() === "org.matrix.room.preview_urls") {
+                _updatePreviewUrlVisibility(room);
+            }
         }
     },
 
@@ -1523,6 +1566,7 @@ module.exports = React.createClass({
                 eventPixelOffset={this.props.eventPixelOffset}
                 onScroll={ this.onMessageListScroll }
                 onReadMarkerUpdated={ this._updateTopUnreadMessagesBar }
+                showUrlPreview = { this.state.showUrlPreview }
                 opacity={ this.props.opacity }
             />);
 

src/components/structures/TimelinePanel.js

@@ -71,6 +71,9 @@ var TimelinePanel = React.createClass({
         // half way down the viewport.
         eventPixelOffset: React.PropTypes.number,
 
+        // Should we show URL Previews
+        showUrlPreview: React.PropTypes.bool,
+
         // callback which is called when the panel is scrolled.
         onScroll: React.PropTypes.func,
 
@@ -934,6 +937,7 @@ var TimelinePanel = React.createClass({
                     readMarkerEventId={ this.state.readMarkerEventId }
                     readMarkerVisible={ this.state.readMarkerVisible }
                     suppressFirstDateSeparator={ this.state.canBackPaginate }
+                    showUrlPreview = { this.state.showUrlPreview }
                     ourUserId={ MatrixClientPeg.get().credentials.userId }
                     stickyBottom={ stickyBottom }
                     onScroll={ this.onMessageListScroll }

src/components/structures/UserSettings.js

@@ -261,6 +261,63 @@ module.exports = React.createClass({
         });
     },
 
+    _renderUserInterfaceSettings: function() {
+        var client = MatrixClientPeg.get();
+
+        var settingsLabels = [
+        /*
+            {
+                id: 'alwaysShowTimestamps',
+                label: 'Always show message timestamps',
+            },
+            {
+                id: 'showTwelveHourTimestamps',
+                label: 'Show timestamps in 12 hour format (e.g. 2:30pm)',
+            },
+            {
+                id: 'useCompactLayout',
+                label: 'Use compact timeline layout',
+            },
+            {
+                id: 'useFixedWidthFont',
+                label: 'Use fixed width font',
+            },
+        */
+        ];
+
+        var syncedSettings = UserSettingsStore.getSyncedSettings();
+
+        return (
+            <div>
+                <h3>User Interface</h3>
+                <div className="mx_UserSettings_section">
+                    <div className="mx_UserSettings_toggle">
+                        <input id="urlPreviewsDisabled"
+                               type="checkbox"
+                               defaultChecked={ UserSettingsStore.getUrlPreviewsDisabled() }
+                               onChange={ e => UserSettingsStore.setUrlPreviewsDisabled(e.target.checked) }
+                        />
+                        <label htmlFor="urlPreviewsDisabled">
+                            Disable inline URL previews by default
+                        </label>
+                    </div>
+                </div>
+                { settingsLabels.forEach( setting => {
+                    <div className="mx_UserSettings_toggle">
+                        <input id={ setting.id }
+                               type="checkbox"
+                               defaultChecked={ syncedSettings[setting.id] }
+                               onChange={ e => UserSettingsStore.setSyncedSetting(setting.id, e.target.checked) }
+                        />
+                        <label htmlFor={ setting.id }>
+                            { settings.label }
+                        </label>
+                    </div>
+                })}
+            </div>
+        );
+    },
+
     _renderDeviceInfo: function() {
         if (!UserSettingsStore.isFeatureEnabled("e2e_encryption")) {
             return null;
@@ -378,7 +435,7 @@ module.exports = React.createClass({
 
         this._renderLabs = function () {
             let features = LABS_FEATURES.map(feature => (
-                <div key={feature.id}>
+                <div key={feature.id} className="mx_UserSettings_toggle">
                     <input
                            type="checkbox"
                            id={feature.id}
@@ -452,6 +509,8 @@ module.exports = React.createClass({
 
                 {notification_area}
 
+                {this._renderUserInterfaceSettings()}
+
                 {this._renderDeviceInfo()}
 
                 {this._renderLabs()}

src/components/views/messages/MessageEvent.js

@@ -38,6 +38,9 @@ module.exports = React.createClass({
         /* link URL for the highlights */
         highlightLink: React.PropTypes.string,
 
+        /* should show URL previews for this event */
+        showUrlPreview: React.PropTypes.bool,
+
         /* callback called when dynamic content in events are loaded */
         onWidgetLoad: React.PropTypes.func,
     },
@@ -71,6 +74,7 @@ module.exports = React.createClass({
 
         return <BodyType ref="body" mxEvent={this.props.mxEvent} highlights={this.props.highlights}
                     highlightLink={this.props.highlightLink}
+                    showUrlPreview={this.props.showUrlPreview}
                     onWidgetLoad={this.props.onWidgetLoad} />;
     },
 });

src/components/views/messages/TextualBody.js

@@ -39,6 +39,9 @@ module.exports = React.createClass({
         /* link URL for the highlights */
         highlightLink: React.PropTypes.string,
 
+        /* should show URL previews for this event */
+        showUrlPreview: React.PropTypes.bool,
+
         /* callback for when our widget has loaded */
         onWidgetLoad: React.PropTypes.func,
     },
@@ -57,6 +60,7 @@ module.exports = React.createClass({
     componentDidMount: function() {
         linkifyElement(this.refs.content, linkifyMatrix.options);
 
+        if (this.props.showUrlPreview) {
             var links = this.findLinks(this.refs.content.children);
             if (links.length) {
                 this.setState({ links: links.map((link)=>{
@@ -69,6 +73,7 @@ module.exports = React.createClass({
                     this.setState({ widgetHidden: hidden });
                 }
             }
+        }
 
         if (this.props.mxEvent.getContent().format === "org.matrix.custom.html")
             HtmlUtils.highlightDom(ReactDOM.findDOMNode(this));
@@ -163,9 +168,11 @@ module.exports = React.createClass({
     render: function() {
         var mxEvent = this.props.mxEvent;
         var content = mxEvent.getContent();
-        var body = HtmlUtils.bodyToHtml(content, this.props.highlights,
-                                       {highlightLink: this.props.highlightLink});
+        var body = HtmlUtils.bodyToHtml(content, this.props.highlights, {});
 
+        if (this.props.highlightLink) {
+            body = <a href={ this.props.highlightLink }>{ body }</a>;
+        }
 
         var widgets;
         if (this.state.links.length && !this.state.widgetHidden) {

src/components/views/rooms/EventTile.js

@@ -101,6 +101,9 @@ module.exports = React.createClass({
         /* link URL for the highlights */
         highlightLink: React.PropTypes.string,
 
+        /* should show URL previews for this event */
+        showUrlPreview: React.PropTypes.bool,
+
         /* is this the focused event */
         isSelectedEvent: React.PropTypes.bool,
 
@@ -420,6 +423,7 @@ module.exports = React.createClass({
                 <div className="mx_EventTile_line">
                     <EventTileType ref="tile" mxEvent={this.props.mxEvent} highlights={this.props.highlights}
                           highlightLink={this.props.highlightLink}
+                          showUrlPreview={this.props.showUrlPreview}
                           onWidgetLoad={this.props.onWidgetLoad} />
                 </div>
             </div>

src/components/views/rooms/RoomSettings.js

@@ -422,6 +422,7 @@ module.exports = React.createClass({
 
         var AliasSettings = sdk.getComponent("room_settings.AliasSettings");
         var ColorSettings = sdk.getComponent("room_settings.ColorSettings");
+        var UrlPreviewSettings = sdk.getComponent("room_settings.UrlPreviewSettings");
         var EditableText = sdk.getComponent('elements.EditableText');
         var PowerSelector = sdk.getComponent('elements.PowerSelector');
 
@@ -654,6 +655,8 @@ module.exports = React.createClass({
                     canonicalAliasEvent={this.props.room.currentState.getStateEvents('m.room.canonical_alias', '')}
                     aliasEvents={this.props.room.currentState.getStateEvents('m.room.aliases')} />
 
+                <UrlPreviewSettings ref="url_preview_settings" room={this.props.room} />
+
                 <h3>Permissions</h3>
                 <div className="mx_RoomSettings_powerLevels mx_RoomSettings_settings">
                     <div className="mx_RoomSettings_powerLevel">