Portable document format files have grown in popularity because they’re easy to access, share, and maintain your document’s integrity. Have you thought about the matter of security when sharing your files with someone else? Since PDFs are “easy-to-access” indeed, you cannot ascertain whether the contents of your file remain private. If there are data leaks and other people misused your intellectual property, what would you do?
Consider how vast the web is, and you will realize that there is a need to protect and secure your files. At some point, you’ll inevitably share them for reviews, transactions, and many other purposes. The risk of misuse of intellectual property is ever-present online. Do you know of some ways to secure your PDFs? If the answer is no, then here are three tips to protect and secure them.
Watermarking your PDFs
Watermarking is one of the oldest traditional ways to secure your PDF files. It applies as a trademark on your documents, but the use of watermarks doesn’t end with that. For instance, adding the word “Confidential” will hint people to handle the file more carefully to keep the contents private. Fortunately, there are many tools to add watermark to PDF free!
Add watermark to your PDF files using GogoPDF!
Truth be told, many websites will appear on your browser when you look up a watermarking tool online. You want to apply the watermark in a short time while making sure that the file remains safe. In this aspect, we recommend using GogoPDF to do the job! It is one of the most sought-after watermarking tools, known for its security and efficiency. To watermark your PDFs for free, read the instructions below.
- Go to GogoPDF.
- Select and upload your PDF that you want to watermark.
- Type the words that you want to use as a watermark. You may also use images as an alternative.
- Wait as GogoPDF applies the watermark to your file.
- Save and share your file! You may directly email your file to someone else, but you can also now save the file to your storage.
What makes GogoPDF an excellent tool is that you are free to edit and personalize your watermark. It also doesn’t matter if you have the technical knowledge because the tool is easy to use! You can also watermark your PDFs on the go since everything happens online, removing the need to install any software applications. How impressive, right?
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Password encryption
Another way to secure your PDF files is to encrypt them with a password. Though some may still access the file as long as they know the password, it still provides another step to deter anyone from accessing your file without permission. At least, you have control over whom you will give the password to, albeit that there’s no guarantee that they’d not leak it.
There are two types of PDF passwords. They are more commonly known as the user and owner passwords. Here’s how they differ from one another.
- User password. It is also known as the PDF document open password. It allows people to access the file for viewing purposes and nothing else.
- Owner password. This type restricts the users to edit, copy, print, etc., the PDF. It is also known as the permissions password. You’ll need to key in the password if you want to modify the file.
Knowing which type of PDF password to set is a must. To prevent others from copying or extracting your file’s contents, you may have to set an owner password. Deterring others from printing the file ensures no hardcopies are out there. This method to protect your file may seem simple, but it’s unquestionably worthwhile.
Document tracking
With the need to share files with other people, you may lose control over the file. Another helpful method is to keep track of the people who viewed or accessed the file. In case problems arise along the way, you can then go back and track who might be the one responsible.
Our technology today is so advanced that you can know how others handle your file. For instance, you can track the number of downloads, views, or prints of your PDF. In case of suspicious activity, you can take preventive action. This method may need particular software applications, but you can certainly use this method to protect and secure your files.
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Final thoughts
Security and privacy are significant issues that many are concerned about. Endless worries about data leaks and misuse of intellectual property would only stress you. Instead, looking for ways to deter others from misusing your data is the right thing to do. GogoPDF your PDFs is one of the easiest and trusted ways to secure your files. Visit GogoPDF now and start protecting your PDFs!