Sharing Credentials Securely with Employers

The problem with current sharing methods

Most crew share credentials by emailing photos or scans of their certificates. This approach has several problems.

Once you email a certificate copy, you lose control of it. The recipient can forward it, store it indefinitely, or share it with third parties without your knowledge. You have no visibility into who has accessed your documents or when.

Email attachments are also unsecured. Certificate images sitting in someone's inbox are vulnerable to data breaches. Your personal information, including wallet details and medical records, deserves better protection.

Principles of secure sharing

Secure credential sharing follows three principles: minimum necessary access, time-limited visibility, and revocable permissions.

Minimum necessary access means sharing only the documents the recipient needs, not your entire portfolio. If an employer needs to see your STCW certificates, they do not also need your medical records or bank details.

Time-limited visibility means setting an expiry on shared access. A recruitment agency reviewing your credentials for a specific position does not need permanent access to your documents.

Revocable permissions mean you can cut off access at any time. If a job opportunity falls through, you should be able to revoke the agency's access to your credentials immediately.

Using share links

Share links provide a secure alternative to email attachments. You generate a link that grants access to specific documents for a defined period. The recipient views your verified credentials through the link without receiving downloadable copies.

Share links should include an expiry date, a list of specific documents included, and a record of who accessed the link and when. You should be able to revoke any link at any time from your dashboard.

This approach keeps you in control. Your original documents stay in your wallet. Recipients see verified credential status without handling your raw documents.

What to share at each stage

During initial recruitment screening, share only the certificates relevant to the position. For an officer position, this typically means your Certificate of Competency, STCW certificates, and medical fitness certificate.

During the hiring process, the employer may need additional documents: flag state endorsements, sea service records, and background check results. Create a separate share link for this expanded set rather than adding documents to the initial screening link.

After onboarding, your employer's compliance system should track your credential status independently. Revoke your pre-hire share links once onboarding is complete.

Protecting personal information

Some credentials contain sensitive personal information. Wallet numbers, dates of birth, medical conditions, and national identification numbers are all present in common maritime documents.

When sharing credentials, consider whether the recipient needs to see the full document or just the verification status. A green "verified" indicator on your Certificate of Competency tells the employer everything they need to know without exposing your wallet number.

Redaction features that hide sensitive fields while showing verification status provide the best balance of transparency and privacy.

Keeping a sharing audit trail

Maintain a record of every share link you create: who it was shared with, what documents were included, when it was created, and when it expires. Review active share links periodically and revoke any that are no longer needed.

This audit trail protects you in disputes about data handling and gives you clear visibility into who has access to your credentials at any point in time.