Screensharing and Data Privacy: Top Tips

Screensharing & Data Privacy

Data privacy in video conferencing is one thing, but what about screensharing? Is screensharing actually GDPR-compliant? And what about TeamViewer and data privacy? These are questions most people only start asking once they are working from home. To provide a quick overview, we have compiled the most frequently asked questions and answers regarding screensharing and data privacy :

• Hosting location of the screensharing tool: In which country is the screensharing tool hosted? Can you use a screen-sharing tool based in Germany or the EU? These tools are automatically required to comply with GDPR regulations. If you cannot find a tool that suits your company, you should look for EU-US Privacy Shield certifications if it is an American screensharing tool. This also applies if your preferred screensharing tool transfers data to non-EU countries (so-called third countries). In this case, you should also look for security commitments or guarantees from the provider (e.g., the conclusion of standard contractual clauses or Binding Corporate Rules).
   
• Encrypted data transmission: Clarify in advance whether your chosen screensharing tool encrypts your data during transmission. This is a crucial point, as encryption must be in place for screensharing to be GDPR-compliant (encryption is an appropriate security measure for secure data processing under Article 32).
   
• Screen sharing: Data security through business versions: Whenever possible, you should opt for a business or pro version of the screen-sharing tool. These usually offer higher security standards or at least advanced data security settings that can be customized.
• Data privacy through personal invitations: An online meeting or demo can quickly involve 10, 20, or even more employees, partners, or customers. It is therefore important to keep track: send invitations and invitation codes only personally and in a way that they cannot be forwarded. This allows you to maintain control over who is attending the meeting and who can view your screen.
  If you are using a tool to share your screen for maintenance purposes, the same rule applies: only those who have received a personal invitation code from you should be allowed to access your screen!
• Undisturbed screen sharing: Turn off all other tools! To keep your meeting uninterrupted, you should disable all other tools and notifications. This applies to chat programs as well as email notifications. At the same time, this also ensures better data privacy, as email or chat previews often reveal sensitive information. Especially when personal data is being sent, this can pose a data privacy risk if unauthorized persons gain insight through a shared screen.
• Separate desktop for better data privacy: Before the meeting, clean up your desktop—or better yet, create a separate desktop specifically for your presentation or demo, where you only keep the files you intend to show. This naturally also applies when you are sharing your screen for maintenance purposes.
• Recording during screen sharing If you want to record anything during a screen sharing session, for example while you have access to the customer's screen, you must clarify this with them beforehand!

With these quick tips, you are well-prepared for your online meeting or upcoming online demo. However, in case of doubt, you should also have your tool approved by your IT department and your data protection officer – this is the only way to clarify whether you need to sign a data processing agreement with the tool provider, for example.