Most oversharing is not malice—it is a missing default. If “forever” is one click and “14 days” takes three, your culture will choose forever.
This guide helps security and IT publish a one-page share expiry policy teams actually follow—aligned to sealed vault controls, not wishful Drive hygiene.
Policy outcomes that matter
- Every external sealed share has an end date
- “Never expires” requires a named approver and review date
- Owners are responsible for renewals—not security archaeology
- Quarterly open-share review is mechanical, not heroic
Suggested defaults by document class
Counsel / NDA follow-ons
14–30 days, optional password, revoke at deal decision.
Vendor diligence
Align to RFP or LOI window. Separate audiences—see diligence room design.
Board packs
Meeting cycle + short grace, then revoke—see the board pack playbook.
Incident evidence
Hours to a few days during active response; counsel-only where needed.
Executed MSAs for countersignature
Short window; do not leave signed PDFs on eternal guest links.
One-page policy skeleton
- Purpose: reduce residual access after business need ends
- Scope: sealed vault shares and high-sensitivity Drive guests
- Defaults table by document class
- Exception process for longer or never-expire shares
- Owner duties: renew, revoke, record why
- Quarterly review of open shares older than 30 days
- Evidence: export activity when engagements close
Compliance Locker supports the technical half—expiry, view limits, revoke, watermarks—so the policy is enforceable, not aspirational.
Rollout without theater
- Change product defaults before sending a PDF policy nobody reads
- Train assistants and deal desks—the people who mint shares
- Spot-check open shares for two weeks after launch
- Pair with sealed sharing patterns so expiry is not the only control
FAQ
What default expiry should we start with?
Seven to fourteen days covers most vendor reviews and counsel shares. Shorter for IR; longer only with documented exceptions for regulated retention workflows.
Who can approve ‘never expires’?
Make it an exception path—security or legal owner, written justification, and a review date. Defaults without owners become eternal clutter.
Do view limits replace expiry?
No. Limits raise the cost of casual forwarding; expiry ends the capability. Use both on high-blast-radius packets.
How do we handle renewals when a deal slips?
Mint an extension or a new share with a new end date. Do not silently flip the original to forever.
Should internal shares expire too?
Yes for sealed packets. Internal trust is not a reason to leave board materials or incident exports reachable indefinitely.
Related: NDA sharing checklist, audit trails.