What happens after you share

What happens after you share

The honest version first: a share cannot be unsent. Once a document has gone to a business, they have it. No app can reach into somebody else's records and take a file back, and any product that implies otherwise is selling comfort rather than a feature.

What my-id.ca does give you is a complete record, and control over your own copy.

What sharing history records

Open Sharing history in the sidebar. Each row shows:

• Form — what was shared
• Business name
• Email and phone of the recipient
• Date
• Document — a link to view your copy

This is the answer to "did I already send that, and to whom?" — which comes up more often than you would think, usually months later when someone asks for the same thing again.

What deleting does

If you delete your copy of a shared document:

• The document leaves your account and stops counting toward your storage quota.
• The sharing-history row stays — it is the record that the share happened, and removing it would defeat the purpose.
• The link in that row is replaced with the date the document was deleted.

It does not retract the copy the business received. Deleting is housekeeping on your side, not a recall.

Stopping further requests

You do not need a revocation mechanism to stop data flowing, because nothing flows without your approval in the first place. To wind a relationship down:

1. Decline further requests. A declined request sends nothing.
2. Say so in the conversation. Most requests continue simply because nobody said stop.
3. Ask them to delete what they hold, if that is what you want. They are subject to their own privacy obligations, independent of my-id.ca.

Where the decision actually is

Everything above points at the same conclusion: the moment that matters is before you approve.

Before you send, check:

• Is this the right business? Names on requests can look alike.
• Is this document what they asked for? Sending your passport when they wanted proof of address is an unnecessary disclosure.
• Does the document contain more than they need? A bank statement to prove an address also shows every transaction you made.
• Is the value right? See Review every field before you send.

Thirty seconds there is worth more than any control afterwards.

If you shared something by mistake

• Tell them immediately and ask them to delete it. Early is much better than late.
• If it was an identifier — a SIN, a card number, an account number — treat it the way you would a leak anywhere else: contact the issuing organisation about monitoring or replacement.
• Note what happened. Your sharing history has the date and recipient, which is what you will need if it ever has to be explained.

Related

• Sharing history overview
• What a business can and cannot see
• When a request feels wrong