Docsharing vs. Duplicate Content

Hi guys,

Assuming docsharing is still a valuable thing to do in 2018, I have a question concerning duplicate content.

What does google crawl/index? Does google only take links into the equation, that you can place in your docsharing site account/profile? Or does google see those links which are in the document itself?

If the latter is true, we have to use unique content, don't we?! Or would it be fine to create a pdf out of an existing blog post and then submit it to numerous docsharing sites?

Content sharing is a bit different from your traditional duplicate content. It's called "content syndication" and it's pretty similar compared to press releases or news sites. Google can tell the difference between document sharing and blatant copypaste content.