Document Privacy

LiveBinders is a web application for packaging all of your resources into virtual 3-ring binders. It provides a visually intuitive way for your stakeholders to easily find and access your resources, regardless of where they are stored.

However, LiveBinders is not designed to serve as a secure document storage platform for highly regulated or sensitive data.

⚠️ Compliance and Sensitive Data Disclaimer

LiveBinders is not intended for the storage of regulated or highly sensitive data, such as:

• Protected Health Information (PHI) governed by HIPAA
  
• Personally Identifiable Information (PII) for students or minors regulated by FERPA (e.g., student records)
• Financial data covered by GLBA or similar compliance standards
  

If your content falls under one of these categories, we recommend storing files on a secure, compliant third-party service (e.g., Google Drive, Box, or SharePoint) and then linking or embedding them into your binder instead. This allows you to share and organize access in a structured way without compromising compliance requirements.

File Privacy Options Within LiveBinders

You can control the privacy of your content using a combination of LiveBinders features and your third-party storage tools. Below are the options available:

1. Files are stored on a Third-Party Cloud Storage (Recommended for Sensitive Data)

We recommend this option for confidential documents already stored in your organization’s secure drives.

• Upload files to your preferred secure storage platform (e.g., Google Drive, Box, or SharePoint).
• Review the share settings of your files before linking them in your binder.
• Copy and paste the URL of your file into the LiveBinders tab.
• If access is restricted, viewers may need to authenticate outside the binder.

Best for: Regulated, sensitive, or confidential data
Support access: LiveBinders support staff cannot access private externally hosted files

2. Upload Files to a Private Binder:

When you upload a file into a private binder, only people with the binder’s private access code can view it.
However, be aware:

• Anyone with the direct URL to that file (outside the binder) can still access it unless the file is also marked as “Private.” See #3 below.
• LiveBinders support staff may access these files for troubleshooting purposes.

Best for: General internal or public facing documents not requiring strict confidentiality

3. Mark Uploaded Files as “Private” and Upload them to a Private Binder (Paid Feature)

Paid subscribers can choose to mark files as “Private” when uploading them. This:

• Restricts the file to be view-only access within the private binder that it is assigned.
• Prevents access via the file’s URL when shared outside of its private binder.
• LiveBinders support staff may access these files for support requests.

Best for: Internal or semi-confidential content needing restricted sharing

4. Password Protect Files Before Uploading

You can password-protect files using software like Microsoft Word, Excel, or Adobe Acrobat before uploading them.

• This adds an additional layer of file-level protection.
• LiveBinders support staff cannot open these files.

Best for: Highly confidential files where viewer access must be tightly controlled

Recommended Options for Confidential Information

If you need to store confidential information, we recommend:

• Option 1: Use your organization’s secure cloud storage and link the files into your binder.

• Option 4: Password protect your files before uploading them.