Internet Fax Features Improve Faxing Security

The very process of Internet faxing makes it more secure than faxing via a fax machine. Unlike paper faxes that are visible for anyone to see, Internet faxes go directly to a secure account or specific email so they are only seen by the person the information is intended. In addition to a more private transmittal process, online fax services provide even greater security features that meet federal privacy regulations and stop junk or spam faxes. Among the Internet fax features designed to improve faxing security when sending and receiving online faxes are:

SSL Encryption. All online fax services feature Secure Socket Layer (SSL) protocol for securely sending and receiving faxes via the Internet. With SSL, only the person sending the fax and its recipient can view the document.

VPN. Some online fax services offer an additional security feature called Virtual Private Network (VPN). The network uses segments of the Internet to create a secure tunnel for safely transferring data.

PGP Encryption. Online fax services that allow faxes to be viewed from your email account use Pretty Good Privacy (PGP) protocol to send and receive encrypted emails. This allows for private faxing directly to your personal email address.

Password Protection. All online fax services provide password protected user accounts for secure access to your account. This prevents unauthorized users from viewing your stored faxes.

Online Storage Protection. Since your faxes are stored on the web, online fax services secure them with redundant servers for an added layer of protection. In addition, your stored faxes can only be accessed by encrypted login.

Public Key Encryption. Online fax services catering to businesses or services that send and receive highly confidential information offer this high level of security for Internet faxing. With public key encryption, users upload their public key to the online fax service provider’s server so all faxed messages are encrypted using their personal key encryption.

Junk Fax Filtering and Blocking. To prevent unsolicited faxes, online fax services provide spam/junk fax filtering measures that use special criteria to automatically identify junk faxes and send them to a junk folder. You can also report any junk faxes received so you do not receive them from the same source again. In addition, online fax service providers offer users the ability to create a block list or an approve/block list combination.