publicbydefault

Publicbydefault, also written as public-by-default, is a policy and design principle in privacy, data governance, and information technology whereby information, resources, or services are exposed to the public by default. Under this principle, visibility is assumed to be public unless explicit access restrictions are configured and applied to limit who can access the data or resource.

It can apply across domains such as open data programs, software repositories, web APIs, and content management systems. In open data and government transparency efforts, public by default supports broad dissemination of datasets, code, and documents. In software and cloud environments, it implies that objects, endpoints, or storage are accessible publicly unless permissions are revoked or restricted by authentication or authorization controls.

Advantages include greater transparency, easier collaboration, accelerated innovation, and reduced friction for reuse of data and software. It can also help align with open data or open-source principles and compliance with certain transparency laws or policies.

Risks and criticisms center on privacy, security, and compliance concerns. Public exposure of sensitive or personal information can lead to data leakage, regulatory breaches, or reputational harm. Implementing effective governance, classification, auditing, and robust opt-out or declassification processes is essential to mitigate these risks.

Best practices for implementing public by default include data classification to identify sensitive information, explicit opt-outs for restricted data, configurable privacy controls, regular audits, and transparent documentation of what is public and why. Organizations should balance openness with responsibility, applying the principle selectively where public access aligns with policy goals and legal requirements.

See also: Open data, Privacy by design, Default settings, Access control, Open by default.