Confidential Map Data

Confidential Map Data

It’s common to have sensitive map data you do not want exposed to the public. Scribble Maps provides methods you can use to keep your data secure and private.

In this article, we will talk about security of maps and map data.

Secure option for accessing maps

When you save a map with the secure option selected, you can make sure that your map cannot be easily viewed. Future users must enter the password to view the map.

A note about a map creator viewing a secure map in the app and the share link:

When the map creator is logged-in to their account, he or she will not need to type-in a password to view the secure map. So if you are the creator of a secure map and you are logged-in to your account, you will not be asked for the password to view the map.

To test the secure view of a map, you can use your browser’s private/incognito window. Since you will not be considered logged-in, you can check whether other users will be asked for the password. In most browsers, you can open a private/incognito window from the Settings menu.

Data context is important

Geographic data isn’t very useful without context. So when you create a map that has sensitive data, we recommend you consider context. For example: If you forgot to log out, or left a map open, what kind of information could a stranger glean from the map?

We recommend a policy of avoiding the use of explicit names in confidential map data.

For example:

If you create a map with a marker on your house and a map title of “My House”. You can share the map with the world because the information is only useful to the people who know the map is from you. The situation is no different than anyone looking at a map on Google. However, if you label the marker with your name, there is a potential privacy issue.

Limiting access to map passwords

The more people who have access to map data, the more likely there will be a security breach. So we recommend you do not share a map password with your entire company. When sharing secure maps for viewing, passwords should be shared verbally or through an encrypted password system, such as LastPass.

Limiting shared data

If you have a map that has sensitive data subsets, you can create a new map that only includes the specific subset you want to share. To create the map:

1. Use folders to group the data subsets by sensitivity level.

2. Save the original map.

3. Delete the folders you do not want to share.

4. Save the map with a new and unique map ID.

5. Share the new map.

Further information

We are constantly improving security and working on new methods to keep data secure. If you have any questions about map security, send us a message at support@scribblemaps.com