Giving access to data

Time-limited sharing

A web window showing customizable sharing settings for accessing a service.

Description

Users can share data for a limited period of time, by setting a start and end time for sharing. Access is not allowed outside the set time. For example, on Google maps a user can share their live location during a specific trip, just until they arrive at their destination.

Advantages

  • The user does not have to remember to remove access
  • Adheres to data minimisation principle - limiting data access/data retention to only what is necessary.

Limitations

  • Data deleted at the end of the time limit is not recoverable
  • Depending on the time limit set at the beginning it can be hard to remember if sharing is currently active or not

Examples

  • Google Docs →

    when sharing a document, people can choose a time and date for sharing to be revoked

  • Slack file retention policy →

    Slack’s default policy is to keep all files and messages for the duration a workspace exists. You can adjust this by setting a custom retention limit.

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