There are various ways to send confidential audio files over the internet.
If you are using our services, we at EQ Transcription Services Ltd offer a secure upload URL so your files are automatically secured without any effort on your part, however you may wish to send files in another way, so here are some alternatives.
One way is to find a safe cloud storage company, (you might want to look into We Transfer, Send Safely or Drop Boxes, or any others). With this transfer method, files are uploaded to the server and can be accessed by you and whoever you chose to see them only. Obviously the same method can be used to send back the transcripts of your files securely.
Another way to keep your business private is to use File Transfer Protocol, (FTP) or simple email – but only if you have secured/encrypted these first. Both the sender and receiving end must be secured for this to guarantee confidentiality. This could prove handy if many files are transferred often as it removes the need to upload to third parties, but for only a few files is perhaps too complicated.
Some email or browser companies offer secured services. One example of this is Mozilla Thunderbird which has a free add-on feature called Enigmail. Setting this up is easy as it comes with easy to follow instructions and a set-up wizard.
Off the Record messaging (OTR) is a feature you can add to a number of programs, even for Android. It provides encryption before messages leave your machine, so no one else can read your messages and authentication that the other person is who you believe them to be. However, this may not be great for large files.
Secure File Transfer Protocol, (SFTP), is a protocol specifically for transferring files. To use this method you need a server, (you can rent one from the likes of Hosted FTP). However, despite a tech savvy knowledge necessary to set this up, files are only encrypted while being transferred, but once they are stored on the server, they are no longer secures and need to be protected with a password before uploading.
All in all, despite many alternatives, the best way for many is simply to use a safe cloud storage company and upload files there.