Protected publication of sensitive documents with authentication and accountability enables storing and sharing confidential files, while reducing risk that a recipient will distribute and share the file information with unauthorized recipients. Every user request for an original file generates a unique provided file based on the original file, the user request, and configuration information. The provided file has characteristics that make the provided file based on a first user request unique from any other provided file based on any other user request. Unique characteristics include changing the format of the original file to another format for the provided file, altering file properties, altering file content, and watermarking.