Why watermark your documents?
Renting a flat, applying for a job, opening a bank account: you are always being asked for a copy of your ID. Once sent, that copy is out of your hands. A watermark ties it to a single purpose, so it can't be used for anything else.
Identity cardSPECIMEN
IDFRASPECIMEN<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
0000000000<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
- Open an account
- Take out a loan
- Steal your identity
Identity cardSPECIMEN
IDFRASPECIMEN<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
0000000000<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
- Valid for this one purpose only
Three things, nothing more
This is the formula recommended by France's cybercrime agency. The watermark above follows it exactly:
RENTAL APPLICATION
The purpose
Any other use is plainly misuse.
MARTIN LETTINGS
The recipient
If the copy leaks, you know where it came from.
11/07/2026
The date
A dated copy is no use to anyone three years later.
Cybermalveillance.gouv.fr, France's national cybercrime victim-support agency.
Watermark a documentThe document never leaves your device.