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jd1114

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Self-Destructing Documents?

We are looking for a way to make documents (preferably PDF files) self-destruct after a set period of time.  We strongly prefer a strictly client-side solution with no central management server.  Is there an easy solution?
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Alan
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I doubt there is any way you can achieve this.

If you send me a PDF (or any other file), once it is in my possession, there is no way for you to control it - it is totally mine (from a technical perspective, and ignoring legal / ethical considerations).

Its like the services that claim to allow users to view a picture (say) for a limited time.  If I can display it, I can always find some way to copy it, and I can view it whenever I want forever, no matter what the provider might claim.

For example, even at the very lowest-tech end of the scale, I could take a photo of my screen - even my granny could do that!


Alan.
Hi JD,

Here's a really simple idea. Run a daily, client-side job in the wee hours that looks for PDF files with a Created Date or Modified Date (depending on which one you want to use) that meets the self-destruct time criterion...then delete 'em! Will be a very easy script to write in whatever scripting language you prefer.

I presume you're trying to comply with some document destruction/retention act (such as HIPAA, Sarbanes-Oxley, etc.), so you'll need to study the act carefully to see if this idea is compliant. Regards, Joe
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jd1114

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Hi Alan,

Thank you for your comment.  I understand what you are saying, but we don't mind somebody being able to take photos of the screen.  As long as the file deletes itself after a certain amount of time, that would be sufficient.  It may require a special type of viewer to look at the file, but that would be OK.
That was just an example of how you can't really achieve this in any practical sense.

How would you send the document (PDF or other type of file) out?

If I have a copy, then there is nothing you can do to force me to delete it, or to make it 'self destruct' as you say.

You can display it to, say, a browser, but as I said above, if I can view it, I can find a way to save whatever is being displayed to me.

Unless you have complete control over all the endpoints (in which case, it wouldn't be an issue anyway I guess), then this is not possible.

You could force the end user to install some kind of software to view a document perhaps, but if it were me, and you said I had to do that, I'd just choose not to deal with you, whether you were a customer or a supplier, so unless you have a situation where you have control (for example, a monopoly supplier in a regulated environment), you probably won't be able to do that.  Also, whilst I am not sure about foreign countries, here that would probably be illegal under competition law (unless you were the government, and legislation allowed for it I guess).  Other jurisdictions might not have such strong requirements for freedom of markets though.


Alan.
Hi jd1114,

You can achieve this by creating a script to run on a folder that queries dates, once date is hit, say 3 days or 20 days, etc, it triggers a data destruction application to destroy those files at the specific destruction requirements needed. You can also have them plainly deleted then the data destruction application can destroy the contents of the recycle bin as well.

Let me know if you have any questions!
I see we have two different approaches proposed for two distinctly different situations.  Perhaps you would clarify:

Is this for documents you are sending to someone else, and you want them to self-destruct on their system,

or

Documents resident on your system, and you want to periodically purge them?
What you're asking is impossible, because this would require compromising security on every client's machine.

So if your document can destroy itself, then your self destructing document can also destroy any other file on the machine.

That said, you could likely make some sort of self extracting .exe file to accomplish this. And likely your file will be classified instantly as Malware, so you'll have to somehow convince every client receiving this file... the file isn't Malware + should be trusted to be able to destroy any file on the machine.

Note: Easy approach to accomplish your goal is to have one time use URLs which produce a document on screen, then retire the document instantly... so the person can see the document contents + first time they leave the screen, they will no longer be able to see the document.
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Giovanni
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Dr. Klahn, my goal is to make documents we share with others (a very small group of others, meaning like 3 or 4 people) inaccessible after a set period of time.  That way, if the systems used by people we share the documents with are compromised, our documents will not be at risk.
The answer is still the same - you can't.

Any of the above may get you partway there, but overall, what you want to do is not possible unless you have control over those systems.

Alan.
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Thank you for all of your help.