The German Bundestag has decided to abolish fax machines in the offices of the Bundestag during the discussion of the 2024 budget. The application for the abolition was also submitted by fax, according to the German trade medium WinFuture.

According to Der Spiegel, during one of the first meetings on the 2024 budget adjustment, it was decided that the Bundestag administration would be requested to submit all fax machines in the properties of the Bundestag. The order has also been given to fully digitize all work processes and activities for which these devices have been used so far.

As far as we know, hundreds of different fax machines are still in use in the administration of the Bundestag. The devices consume paper, require separate maintenance contracts and separate telephone lines and consume electricity due to the continuous use of the sometimes outdated devices. The Bundestag is keeping a tight rein: although the faxes must be removed from the processes, they are not allowed to go. The devices may play a role in alternative communications in the event of a cyber attack.

Stopping the fax is not easy

The Bundestag is at the bottom. Over the past five years, numerous large and small German organizations have announced that they will close their fax channels, in different years, but always as of June 30.

The most striking was the decision by Deutsche Post, which announced in May 2019 that it would stop the so-called E-mail, a legally recognized form of communication via fax. Software company AAIC stopped on June 30, 2023, Deutsche Renteversicherung follows the end date of the Bundestag (June 30, 2024). Vodafone Germany would still have a fax number in operation as of January this year. And at this car dealer, the fax number is prominently displayed for all employees who have customer contact. In short, defaxing is a task.

The Netherlands also has difficulty with faxing

In the Netherlands, the Judiciary was one of the (formal) laggards. Because KPN will provide all-round services in 2023 ISDN lines stopped, the Judiciary decided to make communication by fax impossible as of February 1, 2022. It was replaced by 'Safe Mailing'. In the year before the shutdown, the Judiciary received approximately 30.000 faxes every month and approximately 3.500 faxes were sent.

But other parts of the Dutch government still have the fax in full operation: IND, AIVD, UWV, ministries such as BuZa, Defence, Finance, Justice and Security and OCW. The fax is also popular with lawyers, pharmacies and general practitioners, hospitals and municipalities, such as Venlo, Sittard-Geleen, Maassluis and many others.

Thanks to Mark Elschot who sent the fax a romantic memory mentioned.

Interesting article? Share it!