If you need to have access to the files on your computer when you are away from it, or you want to give someone access to some of the files on your computer, this can be done with file sharing. However, unless it is done correctly, it can leave your data vulnerable to access by unintended persons.
We recommend storing your data in "the cloud". This would be something like OneDrive for your files, or Office 365 Groups, SharePoint or Google Team Drive for files that you're collaborating on with others. If they're in the cloud, you can access them from any device connected to the Internet, and you can control if/when/what you are sharing.
Rules of Safe File Sharing:
- Only share those files that you need to share,
- Limit the access to only the people that need to have access,
- Limit the time to only the time that the sharing is necessary, and
- Never share your entire drive.
You should also be aware that sharing copyrighted files is a violation of U.S. Copyright laws. If you have any questions about whether the materials in the folders you are sharing are copyrighted, you should determine if they are, who the copyright owner is, and whether you have the copyright holder's permission to share those files prior to turning on file sharing.
See File Sharing Services for more information.