Whiteboard Usage#
Whiteboards should not be used to record sensitive information. This includes Social Security numbers, credit or debit card numbers, bank account information, passwords, PINs, recovery codes, MFA backup codes, private account details, medical information, school records, legal information, or any other information that could cause harm if seen or copied by another person.
Whiteboards should be treated as visible public surfaces within the home. Information written on a whiteboard may be seen by household members, visitors, friends, family, contractors, service workers, or anyone else who enters the area.
Whiteboards may be used for temporary planning, reminders, schedules, diagrams, task lists, household notes, school planning, technical brainstorming, or other low-risk information.
Information written on a whiteboard should be erased at the end of use whenever possible. This is especially important when the whiteboard was used for account planning, device configuration, network notes, financial reminders, school-related information, or anything that may reveal private household activity.
Information intended to remain on a whiteboard for more than one day should be reviewed before being left visible. Extended-use information should avoid personally identifiable information, account details, private schedules, device names, IP addresses, internal service names, security-related notes, or other information that could be useful for information gathering.
Whiteboards should not display passwords, passphrases, access tokens, QR codes for account access, recovery keys, authentication setup codes, VPN details, Wi-Fi passwords, or temporary login codes, even briefly.
Network diagrams, server notes, firewall planning, VLAN information, IP addresses, and service names should be avoided on whiteboards when visitors may have visibility into the area. If technical planning is needed, sensitive details should be moved to a private notebook, secured document, or approved digital note location.
Whiteboards used by children may contain names, drawings, school notes, or reminders, but should avoid unnecessary personal details. School names, teacher names, schedules, addresses, phone numbers, login information, or location-specific notes should not remain visible longer than necessary.
Whiteboards should be erased or covered before guests, contractors, or service workers enter the home if the board contains private, technical, financial, scheduling, or household information.
Photos of whiteboards should be reviewed carefully before being shared, uploaded, or posted. A whiteboard photo may accidentally expose private notes, names, schedules, device information, documents, reflections, or other visible background details.
When a whiteboard is used for longer-term planning, the information should be written in a way that is useful to household members but not overly revealing to others. General labels should be preferred over specific account names, sensitive project names, personal identifiers, or detailed internal system information.
At the end of a project, planning session, or troubleshooting session, the whiteboard should be cleared unless there is a specific reason to keep the information visible.