![]() This means that to distribute documents with watermarks that identify the end-user, admins must manually type their details each time. There is no support for dynamic watermarking.If the user also disables JavaScript, they can convert a Google Doc to PDF with the watermarks removed.They can then screenshot the document or copy and paste the content. Google Docs watermarks are laughably easy to remove – the user just has to append /mobilebasic to the end of their URL.Google Docs’ watermarks fails both of these tests: A watermark is only a viable protection mechanism if the document’s copy protection cannot be easily bypassed and the watermark is simple to apply at scale. Unfortunately, just like the rest of its security, it is not very effective. Google Docs’ watermark feature is supposed to provide additional protection for documents. There’s no protection against intentional leaks, and even non-technical users will think to screenshot the document. The protection is only as secure as the password, and the password is only secure if nobody is willing to share it. Why? Because they can simply share their Google password.Īccess is granted to a document on an account basis, and accounts are authenticated by a password (and sometimes 2FA, but that can also be shared). Does Google Docs stop them from leaking documents? Unfortunately, the answer is still no. Okay, so let’s assume the user is not technically-minded enough to play around with their browser’s developer mode. We’ll show you exactly how easy this is in a bit. This means that if JavaScript is tampered with or simply turned off using the browser’s developer mode, users can bypass the security controls. The problem with this is that JavaScript primarily executes this code on the client side – on the user’s own PC. In Google Docs’ case, it’s forced to use JavaScript (just like secure data room systems and other online document sharing solutions) to try to prevent editing, copying/pasting, and printing. Though web apps are certainly convenient, they just don’t have the same level of control over a user’s system as a desktop one. The core issue with Google Docs’ security is that it’s browser-based. In practise however this protection is trivial to remove. In theory, you can protect documents in Google Docs to stop users from sharing, downloading, printing or copying, and add an expiration date to give access for a limited time period. It shouldn’t be used for confidential information, whether that’s content under embargo, an unpublished financial report, board meeting minutes, etc. Google Docs is excellent for collaboration, but it isn’t particularly secure. While its user experience is certainly ready for the enterprise, Google Docs’ security is more questionable. This convenience, however, comes at a cost. It’s used extensively both privately and by businesses, who value the ability for employees to access and edit their documents from anywhere. By this point, most people in the western world have either heard of or used Google Docs. ![]()
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