How to Protect Sensitive Documents When Sharing Online

Not every file is a risk. But the files that are a risk are really a risk. A leaked contract, a disclosed salary band, a client's personal data shared accidentally — these are real business and legal consequences. Here's a practical protocol for the sensitive cases.

Before You Share: Preparation

1. Remove unnecessary metadata — PDFs, Word docs, and images often contain author names, revision history, GPS coordinates (photos), and internal comments. Use a metadata scrubber before sharing externally.
2. Redact what's not needed — if you're sharing a contract excerpt, redact the sections that aren't relevant to the recipient. Adobe Acrobat and Sejda PDF both offer redaction tools.
3. Convert to PDF — a PDF is harder to edit than a Word document, reducing the risk of accidental or intentional modification.

During Sharing: Controls to Enable

• Password-protect the link (something the recipient already knows, not sent in the same message)
• Set an expiry date — 7 days is usually sufficient for a review document
• Disable download if only preview is needed
• Use a per-recipient link for traceability

After Sharing: Cleanup

Once the sharing purpose is complete — the contract is signed, the proposal is decided — revoke the link and delete the file from the hosting platform. Don't let sensitive documents accumulate as an indefinitely accessible archive of liability.

TiniDrop's dashboard lets you see all active links, revoke them individually, and set automatic expiry, making post-share cleanup easy to maintain as a habit.