Telefax not secure - German DPA prohibits the use of fax for sending personal data

Until today, German authorities were keen on using  telefax. The Bremen Data Protection Authority has now announced that fax is not a safe method for the communication of sensitive personal data (Art. 9 GDPR) and personal data generally.  The reason: Telefax transmission is mostly digital and recipients often do not receive this via a fax-machine, but rather via digital means, e.g. email. This is groundbreaking for Germany, the fax-nation. It will mean a major shift for all participants as the preferred method of fast-transmission for German authorities and courts used to be fax. 

Solutions? - Use snailmail, encrypted email or encrypted upload spaces.