Here's the truth: if someone can see your PDF, they can share it. Always. Photos, printing - there's no perfect solution.
But you can make unauthorized sharing difficult. Track when it happens. Know who's responsible. Maintain control over access.
This guide covers what actually works, what's security theater, and how to protect documents intelligently.
Secure your documents before they leak
Traditional PDFs are uncontrollable once sent. You need modern document security that maintains oversight.
Ellty provides intelligent document control. Track every view. See forwarding attempts. Revoke access instantly. Know exactly who's responsible if leaks occur.
Free tier for testing. Professional security from $29/month.
When forwarding matters
Investment documents
Your pitch deck reaches competitors. Financial projections go public. Valuation discussions leak. Real damage occurs.
One founder discovered their entire fundraising strategy on a competitor's Slack. The forwarded PDF included investor feedback and term sheet details. See how send pitch deck to investors.
Client proposals
Pricing gets shared with competitors. Your solution approach becomes public knowledge. Negotiation leverage disappears.
Sales team lost a $2M deal when their proposal ended up with three competing vendors. Client used it to negotiate everyone down. See how send pitch deck to a client.
Internal documents
Salary bands leak. Reorganization plans spread. Confidential feedback goes viral. Trust breaks down.
HR document with layoff plans forwarded to all-hands email list. Chaos ensued. Company never fully recovered employee trust.
Methods
1. Never send the PDF file
Sounds obvious but most ignore it. Email attachments = permanent loss of control.
Use secure links instead. Document stays on your server. You control access. Can revoke anytime. Update content without resending.
Real implementation: Upload to Ellty. Share unique link. Track all access. Disable when needed.
2. Require email verification
Force viewers to identify themselves. Not just passwords - actual email verification. Creates accountability.
When someone forwards your link, new viewer must verify their email. You see exactly who accessed via forwarding.
Reduces casual sharing by 80%. Motivated leakers find ways around, but most forwarding isn't motivated.
3. Time-based access
Documents shouldn't live forever. Set expiration based on actual need:
- Sales proposals: 14 days
- Financial documents: 48 hours
- Strategic plans: 7 days
- Legal documents: Until signing
Expired documents force re-engagement. Maintains relationship. Provides update opportunities.
4. Watermark with viewer info
Dynamic watermarks showing viewer's email/name across every page. Psychological deterrent.
"CONFIDENTIAL - Shared with [email protected]" on every page makes people think twice about forwarding.
Not foolproof - can be removed with effort. But effort is the point. Casual forwarding stops.
5. Disable downloads completely
View-only in browser. No local copies. Significantly reduces sharing ability.
Yes, they can screenshot. But screenshotting 50-page documents takes dedication. Most won't bother.
Combined with other methods, very effective for reducing distribution.
Implementing protection
Step 1: Classify your documents
Not everything needs maximum security. Over-protecting creates friction without benefit.
High security: Financial data, strategic plans, legal documents
Medium security: Sales proposals, internal policies
Low security: Marketing materials, public information
Match protection to actual risk.
Step 2: Use Ellty's tracking features
Upload document. Enable email verification. Set appropriate expiration. Add watermarks if needed.
Share unique links with each recipient. Dashboard shows exactly who accessed when.
If document leaks, you know the source immediately.
Step 3: Monitor and respond
Watch for suspicious patterns. Multiple views from unknown sources? Immediate forwarding to competitors? Time to revoke access.
Real example: Founder noticed investor viewed deck 47 times in one day. Checked logs - being shared with entire partnership. Revoked access, requested meeting to understand concerns.
Step 4: Plan for breaches
Despite precautions, leaks happen. Have a response plan:
- Identify source via tracking
- Revoke all access immediately
- Update document if needed
- Address with responsible party
- Adjust security for future shares
What doesn't work
Password protection alone
Passwords get shared alongside documents. "Here's the PDF, password is 123456." Zero additional security.
Only useful combined with other measures.
DRM solutions
Expensive. Complex. Often broken by simple screen recording. Creates terrible user experience.
Major publisher spent $100K on DRM system. Cracked documents on torrent sites within days.
Legal threats
"Confidential - Do Not Forward" notices rarely stop anyone. NDAs help but enforcement is expensive.
Lawsuits over forwarded PDFs typically cost more than the damage from sharing.
When prevention fails
Document leaked despite precautions? Handle professionally:
Don't panic. Assess actual damage. Often less than feared.
Use tracking data. Identify leak source. Understand motivation.
Respond appropriately. Accidental forward differs from malicious sharing. Match response to intent.
Learn and adjust. Each incident teaches better protection methods.
Move forward. Dwelling on leaks wastes energy. Focus on future protection.
Take control of your document security
You've learned what works and what doesn't. Time to implement proper protection.
Ellty makes document security practical. Not perfect - nothing is. But dramatically better than sending unprotected PDFs.
What you get:
- Unique trackable links for each recipient
- Email verification requirements
- Automatic expiration dates
- Dynamic watermarking options
- Complete access logs
- Instant revocation ability
Stop sending uncontrollable PDFs. Start maintaining oversight.
FAQs
Do watermarks really work?
For casual forwarding, yes. Seeing their email on every page stops most people. Determined leakers can remove them, but that requires effort most won't expend.
Should I use DRM software?
Generally no. Expensive, complex, poor user experience. Often cracked anyway. Better to use simpler methods that achieve 90% protection with 10% of hassle.
What if someone photographs their screen?
They can. But photo quality is poor. Multi-page documents become unwieldy. Watermarks still visible. It happens, but rarely.
How do I handle accidental forwarding?
Check tracking to confirm it was accidental. Politely point out the confidential nature. Usually, people apologize and are more careful. Don't overreact to honest mistakes.
Can I prevent forwarding completely?
No. Accept this. Focus on making it difficult, trackable, and accountable. Perfect prevention is impossible and trying wastes resources.
What's the most important protection method?
Careful distribution. Don't share sensitive documents with untrustworthy people. Technology supports good judgment, doesn't replace it.
