[lenzm]

You're asking for trouble if you are relying on track changes. Anyone can disable track changes, make changes without highlighting them and send it back with track changes reenabled. You need to compare any received file against what you last sent to see the real diff.

There's got to be a better way.

[loteck]

The better way is using the Compare feature that has been in Word for years, if not decades.

[faceplanted]

The problem with that is that it gives a change tracking tool that doesn't work, giving people a false sense of safety, relying on users to remember to manually diff every change sounds like a security issue in itself, that diffing should be either an automatic process instead of track changes or track changes should track everything by default.

[gamblor956]

If the other party attempts to sneak in such a change, usually you extract a concession from them when you catch them as many bar associations now regard that as unethical behavior warranting discipline.

[faceplanted]

Yes, but you still have to catch them, and the fact it's possible gives them the leeway to try, when the point of business is to do business, not to catch people out.

[bal00ns]

That's an imperfect solution for a problem that didn't need to exist in the first place that might even produce its own list of problems.