The fax, ancestor of e-mail still widely used in Germany, experiences its last “beeps” in the Bundestag

The fax machine is still very widespread in Germany, including in the Bundestag. The German Parliament wants to definitively pull the plug on the flagship object of the 1980s and 1990s by the end of June.

Germany, Europe’s largest economy, is preparing to unplug its… fax machines. At least within its Bundestag. Elected officials from the lower house of Parliament approved in a resolution the end of faxing by June 30 at the latest, according to the local press. The Bundestag Budget Committee wants to save paper and tackle bureaucracy.

Telefax, more simply called fax, had its heyday in the 1980s and 1990s, before being dethroned by e-mail. But it is still commonly used in this country, if only to contact certain public administrations. As proof, a fax number is displayed on the official website of the Bundestag, unlike that of the French National Assembly.

In Germany, almost four out of five companies were still using fax in 2023, estimates the digital association Bitkom. But it is the public sector which is primarily targeted by this disconnection operation. “Within the Frankfurt city (administration), we estimate that of the original 2,500 fax machines, today there are around 700.”explains, in the local press, Eileen O’Sullivan, municipal councilor at Digital.

Why is the fax resisting? Partly due to a sense of security. “Although emails can be encrypted, some organizations, such as authorities, still consider fax a secure way to transmit confidential documents, since data transmission is done directly from one device to another., analyzes a Bitkom representative. A widespread idea, but false, as several cybersecurity researchers have shown.

Other regions in any case seem to be following in the footsteps of the German Parliament, such as the Land of Bavaria, in the south of the country. “Our Bavaria is at the cutting edge of technology. So we must lead the way nationally and be the first federal state to unplug the fax machine in administration.”launched the Bavarian Minister of Digital on a daily basis Augsberger Allgemeine. Even if he recognizes, however, a “particular attachment to faxing”.