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How do you handle intellectual property and trade secrets at coworking offices?

I'm considering using coworking spaces. They are a fantastic solution to a problem I have, especially now that they are in so many locations. However, something is giving me pause. The companies that run these coworking spaces are naturally in a very privileged position to learn a lot about a person's business and projects. You're under their roof, in an open space or in a glass-walled office, working under the visibility of their cameras (reasonable to assume equipped with microphones capable of picking up conversations), using their internet (likely monitored and possibly logged), and their staff is interacting with people who come to meet with you. Ultimately, if they wanted to, they could figure out exactly what you're working on and who your clients are. This isn't what's giving me pause. In order to make this a non-issue, I assumed these companies would provide a solid statement (no loopholes) in the member contract that they won't use and won't share what they are able to learn about my business and will keep whatever they learn in confidence. But...none of the spaces I contacted offer a sufficient statement to this effect. This is what's giving me pause. Do you use a coworking space? If so, did you find a solution to this issue? Or did you just accept the risk?

aborsy 4y ago
I did at some point, and worried. I VPNed out the for concerns on logging traffic. I searched a bit the cameras, I am not sure if these cameras have resolution high enough to intercept passwords or screen text from few feet. Anyone knows more about the capabilities of typical indoor IP security cameras in public spaces? There is of course large variety of products, but well known companies probably deploy standard cameras for general security and preventing abuse (say, 1080p or up to 10 megapixels). Still, even with cameras that don’t have high resolution, some information could be learned. It’s a bit like working in a public space such as a coffee shop.
- why-difficult 4y ago
  It's possible it might actually be safer to work from a public space. In such a space, they don't have your business on file, so they're not able to correlate data and build a profile on your business activities so easily. I'm not so worried about the fact that coworking spaces have cameras, though. It's not that they can learn things about my business that bothers me. It's more that they don't offer much in the way of reassurance that they hold whatever they learn in confidence. For someone running a business that might have competitors or that might have clients who require confidentiality, that seems risky. I was hoping more people had grappled with this issue and knew something that maybe I don't know. But the more I ask around, the more it actually looks as though most people just don't think about it.

aborsy 4y ago

I did at some point, and worried. I VPNed out the for concerns on logging traffic. I searched a bit the cameras, I am not sure if these cameras have resolution high enough to intercept passwords or screen text from few feet. Anyone knows more about the capabilities of typical indoor IP security cameras in public spaces? There is of course large variety of products, but well known companies probably deploy standard cameras for general security and preventing abuse (say, 1080p or up to 10 megapixels). Still, even with cameras that don’t have high resolution, some information could be learned. It’s a bit like working in a public space such as a coffee shop.

why-difficult 4y ago
It's possible it might actually be safer to work from a public space. In such a space, they don't have your business on file, so they're not able to correlate data and build a profile on your business activities so easily. I'm not so worried about the fact that coworking spaces have cameras, though. It's not that they can learn things about my business that bothers me. It's more that they don't offer much in the way of reassurance that they hold whatever they learn in confidence. For someone running a business that might have competitors or that might have clients who require confidentiality, that seems risky. I was hoping more people had grappled with this issue and knew something that maybe I don't know. But the more I ask around, the more it actually looks as though most people just don't think about it.