How to Secure Email For Exchanging Confidential Documents

Email was never meant to be a secure method of exchanging confidential documents. However, there are a few things you can do to ensure that your private information stays safe when sent over email.

Email disclaimers can be beneficial tools for any company that regularly exchanges confidential information via email. Psychologists, lawyers and financial professionals are among those who frequently like this communicate confidential information from clients, including dates of birth, Social Tax ID or Security numbers, medical records, and other information that can be used to identify someone.

A confidentiality disclaimer could provide the recipient that the information contained in the email is not intended to be shared with any third party and that it does not constitute any kind of contract. However, these clauses are not valid in the United States under any circumstances without written consent from the recipient to make a contract.

Another common reason for email disclaimers is to guard classified information and trade secrets. Trade secrets are formulas or compilations that a business considers to be crucial to its competitiveness for example, like the Coca-Cola recipe or the Google algorithm. Data that is classified by a government agency to secure the national security, foreign relations or other sensitive information.

Sending emails that are encrypted from end to end is the most effective way to secure private information. This type of encryption encrypts both the email as well as attachments so only the intended recipients are able to see the messages. The simplest way to accomplish this is to use an email provider that supports it, such as Protonmail, Tutanota or Mailfence. For the most privacy, look for an email provider in Europe which is compliant with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and has strict privacy policies.