Google Sheets – How to Share Anonymously

google sheetsgoogle-apps-scriptprivacy

Is there a way to share Google Sheets(programmatically or otherwise) without revealing the Owner's name/Email address to the public/link receivers?

Best Answer

If you want to give the permission of viewer and editor to users for the shared spreadsheet, you are required to share the endpoint like https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/### fileId ###/edit?usp=sharing. In this case, users can retrieve your information including name and email from file ID using GET https://www.googleapis.com/drive/v3/files/### fileId ###?key={YOUR_API_KEY} of Drive API. Namely, it means that the method using the file ID gives the owner information to others. So how about this workaround?

  1. When the spreadsheet is published to web, the URL is like https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/e/### Not fileId ###/pubhtml. In this case, users cannot retrieve the file ID. So users cannot know the owner information.
    • In thiscase, the shared URL is like https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/e/### Not fileId ###/pubhtml.
  2. Display the spreadsheet Using Web Apps. In this case, users cannot retrieve file ID, because the owner information cannot be retrieved from the Web Apps URL.
    • In this case, In thiscase, the shared URL is like https://script.google.com/macros/s/### Not fileId ###/exec.
  3. Display the spreadsheet using Google Visualization API and API key. In this case, users cannot retrieve file ID, because the owner information of the API key cannot be retrieved.
    • In this case, In thiscase, the shared URL is the URL of your own site.

I think that there are other methods except for my answer, so please think of this as one of several answers. If I misunderstand the situation you want to use, I'm sorry.