Storymaps not displaying in ArcGIS Hub in Chrome

[DataOfficer]

I am having trouble with Storymaps not displaying in my ArcGIS Hub pages in Chrome (tested in Version 88.0.4324.190 (Official Build) (64-bit)). The storymaps work fine as standalone items, and can be viewed through the storymaps site. However, when adding them to my hub pages (via an Application item), where the storymap should be is greyed out with a page icon with a sad face, and the message www.arcgis.com refused to connect.

I have checked the following:

• The storymap is published
• The storymap is shared to the hub initiative core team and contents groups
• All content in the storymap has the correct sharing permissions
• Cleared the browser

I have also tried embedding via an iframe instead but I get the same result. I feel like this is related to sharing permissions somewhere along the way but I can't see where.

Viewing the same hub pages via Microsoft Edge works.

Any ideas?

[OwenGeo]

@DataOfficer -- Thanks for your patience, and I apologize for the delay. The StoryMaps team has looked into this and we've validated that we have an approach will meet our security requirements.

We don't have a specific timeline to share yet, but we intend to support this by the end of the year.

[OwenGeo]

I wanted to provide an update on this. We attempted to work on addressing this issue a few months ago, but unfortunately the approach did not end up meeting the security requirements. There is work that needs to be done on the back-end system to support this feature.

That work is tentatively planned for the March 2022 timeframe. Once that is completed, we can again look to work on addressing this enhancement in ArcGIS StoryMaps.

[DataOfficer]

@OwenGeo thank you for the update, though it is extremely disappointing that the suggested timeline will be over a year after reporting the issue. In the meantime, we are still stuck with workarounds which impact on our community user experience in ArcGIS Hub Premium. Have there been any improvements to the routes through which we can embed private Storymaps in our hub sites (with custom domains) in the meantime, or do the same workarounds still apply?

[OwenGeo]

@DataOfficer I understand your disappointment and apologize for the timeline.

While embedding content can provide a smoother experience for your audience, it is also a pattern that exposes vulnerabilities. We cannot compromise on security issues and need to make sure they are handled in compliance with our protocols and best practices. Solving challenges like this often takes careful coordination between teams, and that requires time to do properly and safely.

Please note that if the experience offered by embedding is of primary importance to your organization, you can use a Hub on the arcgis.com domain since embedding private StoryMaps is currently supported in that configuration. As far as I'm aware, the workarounds you mentioned still apply.