Data privacy and internet security are some of the major concerns in the modern world. Technological advancements have increased internet penetration across the globe. This means that millions of people have access to the worldwide web every day.
There are thousands of tools that are meant to facilitate various activities on the internet. A good example is a Word to PDF converter. This is a tool that’s used to convert word documents into PDF format for various reasons.
What is a PDF file format?
PDF is an acronym for Portable Document format. It is an electronic formatting system that compresses a lot of information in one place for easy storage and sharing.
There are numerous tools online that allow you to convert word documents into PDF. Most of these tools seem compelling and can even convert hundreds of documents within seconds. But the question is, how safe are such tools?
Here are some of the reasons why you should avoid free online converters:
- Security concerns
Security is one of the reasons why most people prefer using PDF file formats. This is because they can’t be easily altered and can also be protected using passwords. PDF files have many other security features such as watermarks, signatures among others.
But using an online word to PDF converters often compromises the security of PDF documents. Since you are not directly doing the conversion, you won’t be sure what will happen during the conversion process. It is not safe, especially if you are dealing with sensitive documents.
- Quality
Most people prefer converting word documents to PDF because it is free and faster. It doesn’t require you to do anything other than uploading the file for conversion.
However, what most people don’t realize is that online conversion tools don’t give you the control to amend anything. This means the quality of the final document will be as per your expectations.
- Inconvenience
Although they may be effective and time-saving, an online PDF converter can sometimes create many inconveniences. For example, you won’t be able to convert your documents without a strong internet connection.
How to Check if Free Online PDF Converters Is Safe
There are several ways you can check the safety of a free online PDF converter. Here are some of them:
- Internet connection: Check the type of connection of the website you are using. An HTTPS website is considered safer than an HTTP.
- Green secure padlock: Find out if there is a green “secure” padlock icon in the browser address
- Reviews: Check the reviews of the website via Google. You are likely to see what other users are saying about it.
Bottom line
Online PDF converters are great tools. They can be effective when it comes to converting different word documents into PDF files. However, the problem is that not all of such tools can be trusted.
The fact that you are not in control means that anything can happen in the process. You need to take precautions when using online PDF converters.