Know who's opening your docs — the second they open them
Every view in Peony fires a real-time alert and is logged forever with the viewer's email, IP, device, and timestamp. Dynamic per-viewer watermarks stamp every page they read — so when a document surfaces somewhere it shouldn't, you already have the evidence.
Updated May 2026
At a glance
- Real-time alerts: Get notified the moment someone opens a document — within seconds, with location, device, and viewer identity.
- Per-viewer watermarks: Every page is stamped with the viewer's email + timestamp — leaks are traceable to the source.
- Immutable audit log: Every access (open, download attempt, screenshot attempt) is recorded forever — defensible in court.
Why do teams use leak protection?
Teams use leak protection when a single forwarded link can leak deal terms, trade secrets, or financial data to a competitor. Peony alerts you the moment anyone outside your invite list opens a file — and traces the leak to a specific viewer via per-page watermarks.
Real-time access alerts
The instant someone opens your document, we notify you — with their email, IP, device, and timestamp. No waiting for the leak to surface. You know who has eyes on what, the moment they do.
Defensible audit trail
Every view is timestamped and logged forever — email, IP, device, page-by-page dwell time. When you need to prove who saw what, for a clawback or a privilege dispute, the chain of custody is already there.
Deterrence by design
Viewers see their own name and email watermarked on every page they read, and they know every open is logged. That visibility alone collapses leaks — accountability beats any technical barrier.
"Peony is by far the simplest and most intuitive way to populate and share data rooms with investors and partners. All the key analytics and features integrated into a sleek interface!"
Mark Petrov
Head of Financials, Loop
How does Peony compare on leak protection?
Peony bundles real-time alerts, dynamic watermarks, and screenshot blocking on the $30/admin/month Business plan, with a granular, permanent audit trail on the $52/admin/month Data Room plan. Legacy enterprise VDRs charge five to six figures a year for a similar feature set, and lighter sharing tools omit screenshot blocking entirely.
| Feature | Peony | DocSend | Datasite | Firmex |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Real-time access alerts | ✓ | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Per-viewer dynamic watermarks | ✓ | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Screenshot blocking | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Audit log retention | Forever | Limited | Enterprise | Enterprise |
| Price (starting) | $30/admin/mo | $300/mo | $60K+/yr | $10K+/yr |
Frequently asked questions
I operate a tutorial centre and teachers have been secretly stealing our proprietary teaching materials — can Peony stop them from copying, screenshotting, or downloading our worksheets?
Yes. On Peony Business ($30/admin/month), your teaching materials get multiple layers of protection: screenshot blocking prevents staff from capturing images on desktop, and downloading and printing can be disabled entirely per user. The Data Room plan ($52/admin/month) adds dynamic watermarks that stamp every page with the viewer's name and email so photographing a screen with a phone is traceable, plus granular permissions so you give each teacher view-only access to only the materials they need for their classes. If a teacher leaves, you revoke their access instantly with a single click. Google Drive, Dropbox, and DocSend have none of these controls — once your staff downloads a file, you have lost control of it permanently.
We're an education agency sharing curriculum with 15 partner schools — how do we prevent unauthorized copying while still letting teachers view the materials?
On Peony Business ($30/admin/month), you share your curriculum via secure links with view-only access — your partner schools' teachers can view worksheets, lesson plans, and training videos in the browser without downloading or printing. Screenshot protection blocks screen capture tools, and dynamic watermarks stamp every page with the viewer's identity so any photographed content traces back to the specific teacher. You can set link expiry so materials are only accessible during the current term, and revoke access for any school or individual teacher at any time. For per-school granular permissions and audit trails, the Data Room plan ($52/admin/month) adds those on top. For 15 partner schools, your cost is the same flat per-admin rate regardless of how many teachers access the materials.
Our training company distributes certification exam materials to 200+ candidates — how do we prevent the answers from leaking online?
On Peony Business ($30/admin/month), each candidate accesses your exam materials through a secure link with view-only access — no downloading, no printing, no screenshots. Dynamic watermarks stamp every page with the candidate's identity, and if any material surfaces online, you trace it to the specific person who leaked it. You can also set link expiry so materials are only accessible during the exam window, and revoke all access the moment the exam period ends. Password protection on Business adds another layer if you want candidates to enter a code before viewing, and the Data Room plan ($52/admin/month) adds per-candidate personalised links with granular permissions.
We had a CIM leak on our last $100M sell-side process — how does Peony trace exactly which bidder shared it?
On Business ($30/admin/month), every bidder opening your CIM triggers a real-time alert. The Data Room plan ($52/admin/month) adds dynamic per-viewer watermarks that stamp the bidder's name and email onto every page they read — so even a phone-photographed screen ties the leak back to the exact bidder — plus a granular audit trail that logs every page view with email, IP, device, and timestamp, retained for the life of the room. For your next $100M process, you have both the access trail and the visible watermark on every leaked page to prove who broke confidentiality. Datasite, Firmex, and Ideals charge enterprise pricing for less-granular per-viewer audit data.
Our PE fund shares proprietary portfolio company financials with co-investors on a $150M deal — how does leak protection work across multiple document types?
On Business ($30/admin/month), leak protection applies to every document in your $150M data room automatically — PDFs, Excel models, PowerPoint, Word, and scans all get dynamic per-viewer watermarks and screenshot blocking without file-by-file setup, and you're alerted in real time the instant any co-investor opens a page. The Data Room plan ($52/admin/month) adds a granular audit trail capturing each viewer's email, IP, device, and timestamp, giving your team a complete chain of custody across the entire deal — if a financial model leaks to a competing fund, you already know exactly who accessed it and when.
Our law firm handles privileged documents on $75M litigation matters — how does Peony protect us if opposing counsel leaks a privileged memo?
On Business ($30/admin/month), every open on your $75M matters fires an instant alert, and dynamic per-viewer watermarks stamp every page with the viewer's identity. The Data Room plan ($52/admin/month) adds a granular audit trail logging email, IP, device, and timestamp on every access, so if a privileged memo surfaces in discovery or is forwarded outside the matter team, the audit log plus the visible watermark identify exactly which recipient broke privilege — giving your firm concrete evidence for a clawback motion. Ideals and Firmex charge enterprise-tier pricing for comparable audit and watermarking, often with add-on fees for screenshot blocking. Peony includes screenshot blocking on Business with no add-ons.
I'm a startup founder sharing my $40M Series B pitch deck with 25 VCs — can I protect it from being forwarded to other funds?
On Business ($30/admin/month), screenshots are blocked and you can disable downloading and printing so partners cannot save a local copy to forward. On the Data Room plan ($52/admin/month), every slide of your pitch deck is watermarked with each VC's identity. For your $40M raise, page-level analytics show you which VCs actually read your deck versus which forwarded the link (you will see unexpected viewer emails appear in your analytics). If a slide surfaces at a fund you did not share with, the watermark traces it to the specific partner who leaked it. DocSend has no screenshot protection or dynamic per-viewer watermarks at any price.
We're a biotech company sharing licensing data with 3 potential partners on a $90M deal — can we layer leak protection with NDA gating and redaction?
Yes. On Business ($30/admin/month), your $90M licensing data room gets screenshot protection and real-time access alerts. The Data Room plan ($52/admin/month) adds dynamic per-viewer watermarks, a granular audit trail, plus Advanced NDA gating, requiring each partner to sign your confidentiality agreement (captured as a signed PDF) before viewing a single page. On the Deal Team plan ($64/admin/month), Advanced Redaction permanently masks proprietary compound data before early-stage partners see it. These security layers work together automatically — no add-on fees or per-feature charges. Peony is GDPR, CCPA, and HIPAA compliant and SOC 2 Type II certified.
What features pair with leak protection?
Leak protection is strongest when layered with dynamic watermarks, screenshot blocking, and identity verification. Each one closes a different escape route — together they make a forwarded link traceable, uncopyable, and gated behind a verified viewer.
Watermarks
Add dynamic watermarks with viewer details to every page, deterring unauthorized redistribution.
Screenshot Protection
Block screen captures and recording tools to prevent unauthorized copies of your documents.
Two-Factor Authentication
Require email-based identity verification before anyone can view your shared documents.