Fax machines have been an integral part of human history for over 175 years. Despite not being the most glamorous pieces of technology, they have been a reliable staple of communication for most of our lives. As a result, they have become a familiar cultural touchstone and frequently make appearances in films and television shows.

In this article, we celebrate the enduring cultural impact of fax machines by highlighting the seven best fax moments in film and TV. These moments showcase the versatility and reliability of fax machines, as well as their ability to convey important information quickly and efficiently.

From the suspenseful fax scene in the classic film “The Godfather” to the comical fax mishap in the hit television show “The Office,” these moments demonstrate the enduring appeal of fax machines in pop culture.

Join us as we explore the fascinating history of fax machines and their impact on our lives, as well as the unforgettable moments they have inspired on the big and small screens.

#7 Almost Famous

Almost Famous is a semi-autobiographical film by filmmaker Cameron Crowe. It’s about a high school boy in 1973 who is given a rare chance to join an up-and-coming band on their concert tour and write a story about it for Rolling Stone Magazine.

During a particularly funny phone conversation, Editor Ben Fong-Torres tells high school student William Miller to send him his story with a “mojo.”

Miller is confused by this, as he has no idea what a mojo might be.

A mojo is another name for an early fax machine, and Torres seems quite impressed with the technology. So much so, that he brags: “It’s a very modern machine that transmits pages over the telephone. It only takes 18 minutes a page!”

Considering the speed at which data can be transmitted now, this particular line illustrates how far we’ve come—and offers a big laugh to boot.

#6 Back to the Future 2

In Back to the Future 2, the sequel to the smash hit Back to the Future, hero Marty McFly (played by Michael J. Fox) is goaded into a shady transaction at his company CusCo by annoying acquaintance “Needles.” Needles has a bad habit of continually tempting McFly into foolish things by calling him “chicken.”

Unfortunately, this time, Marty is caught in the act by his boss Ito T. Fujitsu.

Ito yells at McFly over a video communication to “Read my fax!” Suddenly, all around the room, fax machines begin to spit out the same message on a single sheet of paper that say “You’re Fired!!!”

This is particularly amusing now, as the filmmaker’s vision of the far flung future of 2015 included, of all things, fax machines.

#5 Jerry Maguire

Tom Cruise, Cuba Gooding Jr. and Renée Zellweger are the well-known stars of the hit film Jerry Maguire, but there was another star that didn’t get the recognition it deserves: the fax machine.

Jerry Maguire revolved around a sports agent (Tom Cruise) who has a moral epiphany and is fired for expressing it.

He decides to put his new philosophy to the test as an independent agent, along with a single athlete who stays with him (Cuba Gooding Jr.) and his former secretary (Renée Zellweger).

Faxing is an integral element to the film’s plot, as contracts and commitments were the traditional method of communication in the sports industry in the ‘90s. This is no more apparent than in a dramatic scene where Cruise, Zellweger, Gooding Jr. and his character’s wife are waiting for a contract offer—a life-changing moment for all four of them.

When the fax arrives with a disappointing offer, the whole group is stunned. And yet it is this fax message that galvanizes them, deepens their bonds, and inspires Gooding Jr. to become a free agent—a risky move that pays off with big rewards.

Jerry Maguire may be famous for lines such as “Show me the money!” “You complete me,” and “You had me at hello,” but let’s not forget the importance of the stalwart fax machine to this wonderful story.

#4 Babe

In this beloved film, a pig named Babe is raised by sheepdogs, and with some help from Farmer Hoggett, learns to herd sheep.

Hoggett is a Luddite, who scorns modern technology, even household items as innocuous as an alarm clock. So it is a humorous moment indeed when the farmer receives a fax machine as a gift from his son, who hopes to “modernize” his father.

Later, however, the fax machine is a boon to Hoggett, who doesn’t have time to mail in an application for his pig to enter the Sheep Dog Trials, and instead uses a fax machine to beat the deadline.

For Babe and Hoggett, the “modern” fax machine saves the day.

#3 The Bourne Ultimatum

The Bourne Ultimatum is a spy thriller and the third in the successful Jason Bourne film series, preceded by the Bourne Identity and The Bourne Supremacy. In the thrilling final act of the film, Bourne (played by Matt Damon) uses his considerable skills to infiltrate CIA Deputy Director Noah Vosen’s office.

Vosen is also the head of “Operation Blackbriar,” essentially the umbrella operation for all of the U.S.’s shadowy assassination operations.

Blackbriar allows CIA’s black ops to sidestep Washington’s red tape and make deadly, morally wrong mission decisions.

While in Vosen’s office, Bourne breaks into a high-security safe with a top secret folder. The folder’s contents not only prove Blackbriar’s existence, it also sheds light on their darkest secrets. Bourne evades capture from Vosen’s team and manages to get the classified files to CIA Deputy Director Pamela Landy. Before Vosen can stop her from revealing the truth, Landy faxes all the documents to the appropriate officials, causing Vosen to be arrested and Operation Blackbriar to finally be exposed.

This proves that even in the high-tech world of global espionage, a simple fax machine can bring down a powerful government operation.

#2 Office Space

Most of us can relate to office machinery rage: printers that jam, faxes with busy signals, toner cartridges running out of ink at inopportune times. Perhaps this is why the now infamous scene in Office Space, in which three frustrated cubicle workers give a beat down to an office machine, has become a pop culture phenomenon.

The plot of Office Space revolves around Peter Gibbons (played by Ron Livingston) who, thanks to a hypnotic suggestion, decides not to go to work at the same time his company is laying off employees.

When his friends are fired, they all conspire to plant a virus that will embezzle money from their company and send it to their own account.

And yet, the scene that has transcended the film is when Peter and his two co-workers decide to finally have revenge on the machine that has given them so much misery—a machine that represents all of their frustrations.

But is it a fax machine? A printer? A fax-printer combo? The internet is filled with debates on this very subject. However, there is one thing that can’t be denied—the lasting impact of this hilarious scene on film history.

#1 The Office

The Office is a multiple award-winning adaptation of the BBC series of the same name. In this mockumentary of typical office workers, there were daily ego clashes, as well as inappropriate behavior, tedium, romance—and of course, lots of laughs.

In the episode “Prince Family Paper” from the fifth season, the topic of a fax machine enters a conversation between Regional Manager Michael Scott (played by Steve Carell) and Chief Financial Officer David Wallace (played by Andy Buckley).

In the segment, David is trying to get facts on a competitor called “Prince Paper.” When David asks Michael for help, the conversation ends like this:

David: There is a small company there, Prince Paper. I can’t get a report on it because it’s not a public company. But we have been talking about going after their market, so I was hoping you could do some fact-finding for me.

Michael: Okay.

David: I’ll fax over some of the things we’re looking for.

Michael: Fax? Why don’t you just send it over on a dinosaur?

David: Look, this is important, Michael.

Michael: Oh, well then, email it to me.

A funny moment. But apparently, they didn’t know it’s possible to fax by email instead. That’s right. It’s possible to turn your email into a fax machine. So, rather than use a clunky machine like the folks in The Office, you can switch to online faxing. You’ll not only save yourself from fax hassles, you’ll save money too.

So, here’s to the good ‘ol fax machine. We may have a chuckle or two at its expense, but over the years, it has proven to be a movie and TV star in its own right.

More than 2.5 quintillion bytes of data are created and shared daily. This data comes in many forms, from social media images to numbers in a spreadsheet. But what happens when that data is confidential and must be shared between two parties?

Sharing confidential files online is something that happens every single day. However, despite being common practice, it’s always essential to ensure that your documents are being shared in a way that’s safe and secure. Depending on the type of information you’re sharing, having it fall into the wrong hands could put your client or patient data at risk, increase the potential of identity theft and more.

So how do you share confidential files online in the most secure way possible? In this article, we’ll take a closer look at your best options, which to avoid and how to choose the best file-sharing approaches.

How Do I Share Confidential Documents Securely?

Whether you’re sending patient medical records or secure client banking documents, choosing secure file-sharing solutions is a must. So, what do you need to know about securely transferring files over the internet? One good starting point is to learn which options are the least secure for sending confidential forms and other documents.

The Worst Ways to Send Confidential Documents

When looking for ways to send secure files, most people will immediately turn to their regular email accounts. After all, it’s an account that only you have access to and that you use to communicate with coworkers or clients regularly. However, that regular email may not be as secure as you think.

Email accounts, particularly corporate ones, are often a target for cybercriminals. They see email accounts as a weak link that will allow them to access sensitive information — such as confidential documents or passwords to other accounts. Sending documents via email may expose those documents during a breach.

Sharing documents via the cloud or attaching documents from the cloud to send via email also carries risks. Uploading your confidential document to the cloud before attaching it to the email can be tricky. Many employees, contractors and even ex-employees could still have access to the cloud. If your documents include sensitive data like patient information that could be subject to privacy laws, uploading the documents to the cloud before transferring them is a big mistake. This also means that simply sharing those documents via the cloud is not a secure option either. Not only does the cloud provide access to many parties, but it could also put your sensitive documents at risk from cybercriminals. Nearly 80 percent of businesses have experienced a cloud data breach in the past 18 months. When it comes to the best-encrypted file sharing, the cloud may not be your best option.

Finding the Best Option for Secure Sharing of Documents

When learning how to send documents securely over the internet, it’s important to consider who will have access to the documents and any weak points in the process that could provide access to cybercriminals. For instance, trying to send documents via email by uploading the documents to the cloud-first exposes those documents while in the cloud. There’s also a risk of human error getting in the way—if you incorrectly type in the email address of the person you’re trying to send the documents to, it could wind up in the wrong hands.

Add Your Heading Text HereIs Sending a Fax the Most Secure Way to Exchange Information?

A fax is the best way to send secure info over the internet today. That’s because a fax machine or online fax service is far less prone to cyber-attacks and hacking, which means that your documents are safe from most common cyber crimes.

With a traditional fax machine, there’s minimal risk of cyber criminals gaining access. However, conventional fax machines do have other limitations and risks. To start, you’re at the mercy of the device. For most offices, this means aging fax machines prone to breaking down and requiring costly and time-consuming repairs.

Another risk associated with traditional fax machines is that after your fax prints, anyone walking by the machine could pick up your documents. When you want to send files securely, this can be a big problem. Luckily, there is an alternative.

What Is the Most Secure Way to Fax?

Despite the limitations of traditional fax machines, they’ve given rise to the best encrypted file sharing service available today: online fax service.

Data encryption is the key to secure file sharing online. When a document is encrypted, the information contained within is digitally scrambled by translating it into a different code or form that only the person who holds the translation key can unscramble. This makes it very difficult for cybercriminals or anyone else to decipher so that even if your document falls into the wrong hands, the information contained within is safe.

Encryption service makes online faxing one of the most secure file-sharing solutions because it helps to avoid the challenges and risks of a traditional fax machine. While online fax service can rely on your regular email account, documents are uploaded directly to your email rather than going to your company’s cloud—and they’re encrypted before arriving at their destination. This reduces the risk of your digital files falling into the wrong hands and protects them if they do.

Learning how to send files securely via email is as easy as creating an account with your online fax service, choosing a document and using your existing scanner or copier to upload your first document.

How to Send an Online Fax

Sending online faxes is more than just a secure way to share confidential files—it’s also fast and easy. You won’t need a traditional fax machine or even a dedicated landline.

You’ll only need three simple steps to send your secure online fax. First, create a new email using your existing email account. Instead of a regular email address, enter the fax number of the person or company that you’re trying to send a fax to. After the number, enter “@efaxsend.com.” You can add your choice of subject line and message to your email, as well as a cover sheet for your fax. Attach the file for your document to the email as well. You can attach up to ten files at once.

Finally, hit send. Your document is then sent directly to your recipient’s fax machine, where it will print just the same as it would if you had sent it from a traditional fax machine.

What Is the Most Secure Way of Sharing Sensitive Personal Information?

Online fax service isn’t just for secure patient or client documents. It’s also a great option for sharing documents that contain your own personal sensitive information.

Whether you need to send signed documents to a lawyer or real estate agent or send medical information to a doctor or clinic, you can look to safe file-sharing sites to securely fax those documents to the right recipient. 

In addition to reducing the risk of cybercriminals gaining access to your documents, the best secure file-sharing online services also make it easier to ensure that your documents are going to the right recipients. You can save the email addresses or fax numbers that you use frequently to your online fax account. For instance, if you send signed documents to your lawyer frequently, you can save their fax number and make it quick, easy and mistake-proof to send documents in the future.

Which Online Fax Service Is Most Secure?

An online fax service is the most secure way to transfer files, including business documents and personal information. But once you’ve decided that an online fax service is the right option for you, it’s time to choose the best service. In this case, that means selecting the most secure online fax service.

eFax offers an encrypted secure online fax service for both business and personal use. No more worrying about uploading your confidential documents to a cloud where they may be at risk of cyberattacks or leaving your sent documents sitting on an unsecured fax machine in an office somewhere.

Instead, your sensitive documents are securely scanned, uploaded and faxed directly to your recipient’s own online fax service. If they aren’t yet taking advantage of the security of online faxing, you can still send your faxes to a traditional machine.

eFax allows you to add a fax cover sheet to each of your faxes. On this sheet, you can include a note about who the fax is meant to go to and a warning that the information is confidential. This can help to deter the wrong person from walking by the fax machine and picking up your document.

For businesses in the healthcare industry or those subject to regulatory compliance standards, eFax can help ensure that your faxes are properly sent. Our services are also scalable, allowing you to continue utilizing our secure faxing solutions even as your business grows.

Getting Started with the Best Online Fax Service

Learning how to send files securely is easier than you might think. Online fax services make sending even the most sensitive or confidential documents fast, easy and secure. Whether you need to send your own medical records to a new doctor or are looking for a secure way to send sensitive client information, you need secure file sharing solutions. eFax’s online fax service is has all the features you need to protect your information.