Working from home is becoming more common, though for some businesses, it can be a little challenging. Many businesses still use fax machines instead of emails and cloud services to send important documents. Because most homes don’t have fax machines, people turn to Gmail fax plugins for help.
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Are Gmail Fax Plugins Safe?
Most people questioned the safety of the Internet when it first came out. Many still question the safety of new services. Therefore, it’s understandable to have concerns, as documents you send via fax machines are often highly sensitive. Traditional fax machines use landlines to transmit data, as these were considered more secure than internet servers when the fax machine was invented.
However, you’ll probably notice you don’t really question the safety of using online services anymore because you’re used to it, and you haven’t experienced any data leaks. There are services in place that keep all of your information encrypted and private. The same goes for when you’re sending a fax through Gmail.
Is Sending Faxes Through Gmail As Safe As Emailing?
Sending emails through Gmail is a little safer than sending regular emails. Fax machines are no longer landline-exclusive. Some connect to each other via internet lines instead. However, they use different internet lines from the ones email servers use. The lines fax machines use aren’t connected to numerous secondary devices, and they have fewer other networks interconnected with them.
These are the internet lines your email faxes are sent through, too. So, due to the extreme safety of sending faxes through Gmail, your days of Googling “fax service near me” are over. The nearest fax machine is your smartphone or computer now.
Can Google Staff See the Contents of My Gmail Faxes?
Large companies are well known for taking customer data and selling it to businesses. Understandably, this has you concerned that they’ll do the same using the contents of your faxes. However, if they did that, though, it would be illegal.
Google has stated numerous times that everything in your Google Drive, Google Docs, Gmail inbox, and outgoing messages are private. They can’t see a single word of what you send, and nor can anybody but the people you choose to share your files with. The only data Google can access from you is your search history and browsing activities. Very few Google employees can see any data at all.
Do You Have To Download Anything to Use Gmail Plugins for Faxing?
Some companies require you to download programs or browser extensions if you want to send faxes via your email inbox. There are also smartphone apps you can use for the service.
These differ from Gmail plugins. Gmail plugins remain browser-based, and you don’t need to download a browser extension. This keeps you a little safer, as it can be unnerving to download new applications onto any device because you never know what’s included in them.
How Do You Use Gmail Plugins?
1. Use a Service
When you sign up for an online fax service, you’ll be provided with a free fax number. Your first 30 days are free, then you’ll pay a small monthly fee to continue using the service. The fee is in exchange for your use of these extra secure internet lines which are accessed when you use the domain and extension of your fax service.
The extension will usually be “.com.” When using a fax service, the domain might be something like “@rcfax” instead of “@Gmail.”
2. Prepare the Email
You’ll prepare to send your email the way you’d get ready to send a regular message through Gmail. Open up the box and type up your cover letter. You’ll most likely need to type this up elsewhere before pasting it into the appropriate part of your Gmail composition box. It goes in the subject line of your email. You don’t need to attach it as a separate file or put it into your email body.
Attach the document you wish to send as a fax to the body of the email, and avoid putting any text into the email body alongside it.
3. Send It to a Fax Number
Remember the domain and extension you received when you signed up for the service? This is where they come into play. You’ll attach this domain and extension after the recipient’s fax number, so the end product will look something like 8065634411@rcfax.com. You’ll send your fax to this instead of to an email address.
Faxing through email is one of the safest ways to send your documents. Test Drive Our #1 Recommended Choice and Fax Free for 30 Days!