Digital business card security features and privacy: what to share, what to leave off and how to stay safe
By Online Business Cards Editorial Team | Published | Updated | Leads, privacy and security
A digital business card is a web page you choose to publish. Keeping it safe is mostly about what you put on it, who can open it, and how you handle the details people send you.
"Is it safe?" is a sensible first question about any digital business card. The short answer is that a digital card is about as safe as the information you put on it. It is a web page you choose to publish: nothing is sent from your phone to anyone else's unless you share the link or show your QR code, and the other person only sees what is on the page.
That makes the real questions practical ones. What should go on the page? Who can open it? What happens to the details people give you? This guide answers each in turn.
What a digital card does and does not do
- It is a web page. Anyone with the link can open it, and links get forwarded. Treat everything on your card as public unless you have made the profile private.
- Sharing is always your choice. People reach your card when you show them your QR code or send them the link, or when they find the link where you have put it, such as your email signature.
- Scanning does not give anyone access to your phone. A QR code simply contains a web address. Scanning it opens that address in the other person's browser.
- Saved contacts cannot be recalled. When someone saves your details to their phone, they have a copy. You can change your card afterwards, but not the copy they saved.
What to put on, and what to leave off
The safest card contains what someone needs to get back in touch with you at work, and nothing more.
Usually fine
- Your name, job title and business name
- A work email address and work phone number
- Your business website and the social profiles you use for work
- A professional photo or logo
- The area you serve, rather than a full address, if you work from home
Think twice
- Personal mobile number. If you only have one phone, consider whether a messaging link or an enquiry form would do the job.
- Home address. If you work from home, show your town or the area you cover, or use a business or registered address instead.
- Photos of your home, family or car. Gallery pictures can reveal more than you expect, such as a house number or a number plate.
- Documents. Brochures and price lists are useful, but check them first. Files often carry the author's name and other details in their properties, and older versions sometimes contain information you meant to remove.
Never put on a public card
- Your date of birth, signature, passport or driving licence details
- Bank details or payment links you have not set up deliberately for customers
- Anyone else's personal details without their permission, including testimonials with full names
Settings that help
Both of our plans run on our platform partner's profile builder, and Brand Presence includes three settings that are useful here:
- Contact display lets you choose how your details appear, so you decide which ones come first and which are shown at all.
- Visibility and order lets you hide or reorder any section, for example hiding a price list until it is up to date.
- Password protection keeps a profile private until you are ready, or for a profile you only want certain people to see.
If you are unsure how a setting behaves on your profile, ask us before relying on it.
Fake QR codes and how to avoid them
There have been UK warnings about fake QR codes stuck over genuine ones, for example on parking signs, leading people to copycat payment pages. The same trick could be played on any code you put in public.
If you display your QR code
- Check the destination. After printing anything, scan it yourself and confirm it opens your card.
- Keep an eye on public displays. A code on a stand you are staffing is low risk. A poster left up for weeks is worth checking now and then for stickers over the top.
- Tell people what to expect. A short line such as "Scan to save my contact details" sets expectations, and nobody should be asked to pay through your card.
- Size it properly. Our QR code size and placement guide covers how big to print and where to put it.
If you scan someone else's code
Most phone cameras show the web address before opening it. Glance at it first. If the address does not match the person or business you expected, do not open it, and never enter passwords or payment details on a page you reached from an unexpected code.
Keep your account secure
Your card is only as safe as the login behind it. Use a strong password you do not use anywhere else, do not share your login with colleagues, and update or remove access when someone leaves your business. If you think someone else has got into your account, change the password straight away and contact us.
When you collect other people's details
The Business Plan adds features that collect information from other people: enquiries, bookings, contact leads, subscribers, forms and a card scanner for paper cards you receive. Once you collect someone's details, you are responsible for them under UK GDPR.
In practice that means telling people what you will do with their details, using them only for that, keeping them secure, and deleting them when you no longer need them. If you want to send marketing emails, you usually need clear consent first. Our guide to collecting leads with a digital business card under UK GDPR explains each step, and the Information Commissioner's Office publishes free guidance for small businesses.
Scanning someone's paper card counts too. They handed it to you to stay in touch, so use it for that, not for adding them to a mailing list.
What to share, and what to leave off
Usually safe to share | Think twice | Leave off
Business email and phone | Personal mobile | Home address (if you work from home, use a postcode area)
Job title and business name | Your exact location | Date of birth
Links to your work and socials | Personal social accounts | Bank or ID details
Read next: What to put on a digital business card and How to ask customers for Google reviews, and stay within the rules. You can also browse all our guides, or see how an online business card works.
Frequently asked questions
Is it safe to have a digital business card?
Yes, as long as you only publish details you are happy to be public. The card is a web page that people open when you share it; it does not give anyone access to your phone or accounts.
Can someone hack my phone by scanning my card?
No. Scanning a QR code opens a web address in the other person's browser. The real risk is a fake code that points somewhere else, which is why you should check any printed code yourself.
Should I put my home address on my digital business card?
Usually not. If you work from home, show your town or the area you serve, or use a business address. Add a full address only if customers genuinely need to visit you.
Can I make my digital business card private?
Yes. Brand Presence includes password protection, which keeps a profile private until you are ready or limits it to people you give the password to.
Can I take my details back after someone saves them?
No. Once someone saves you to their contacts, they have their own copy. You can update your card, and anyone who opens it again sees the new version, but you cannot change what is already stored on their phone.