Shipping Secure: Collect only what you can explain

Yesterday I posed the question of how much information my app really needs to ask for. Here’s the rule I’m building around:

Collect only what you can explain.

What that means in practice:

• For each thing you ask for, be able to say why in one sentence. If you can’t, it’s a candidate to cut.
• Asking for less is a protection. What you never collected can’t leak, and can’t be passed along.
• Treat every permission as a decision. Connecting another service, or saying yes to a prompt, gives information away. Be firm about what you agree to.

None of this is fancy. It’s a habit of asking “why do I need this?” before you add the field.

Here’s the honest part. Asking for less doesn’t make an app safe on its own. What you do collect still has to be protected, and deciding what you really need is a judgment call you will sometimes get wrong. I’m still learning where that line is, so this is a habit I’m building, not a finished system.

Here’s a ten-minute action. List everything your app or sign-up form asks for. Next to each item, write one sentence on why you need it. Cross out anything you can’t explain, and check whether you can stop asking for it.

Next week: who’s allowed to change or delete what in your app, and how do you know?

This is general information, not legal advice.