Secure file transfers used to be a very difficult process. It required getting a man in a suit to handcuff a briefcase to himself and carry it around conspicuously.  If they had to transfer really big files, they had to get a really big guy with a really big briefcase.

And what happens when that document is brought into the US from abroad and customs officials demand to search the briefcase? Border agents may make routine searches of personal affects without probable cause or even reasonable suspicion. If the documents they want to search are protected by attorney client privilege, medical records, trade secrets or all of your private passwords, you must comply with their demand.

Now, secure file transfers can be done very easily for free across any borders of the world. Sorry scary man in a suit with custom made hand cuffs, you have been replaced.

Using Skype To Transfer Files

The best way to transfer big files for free is using Skype.  It is an encrypted platform for communicating with anyone around the world through the internet.  You can set up a basic account for free and it is free to call other users. You can also make calls to regular phones for a very low rate.

All of your communications through Skype are very well encrypted and there is almost no possibility that anyone is monitoring your communications on their network, except maybe big brother. The US government probably has the ability to monitor Skype as much as any other communication network, but at least you know that nobody else is watching.  It is a lot like anonymous browsing for your phone conversations

Features

You can sign up for Skype very easily by downloading the software from their site. You will be able to call, instant message, and even video conference and keep your communications encrypted.   Their encryption is about as secure as you can be for free.

Another good feature of Skype is the ability to share files with other users.  There are several ways to transfer files through the Skype platform. The easiest is simply dragging and dropping the file from your computer into the conversation window. 

Once the file is uploaded the other person, or group of people, can save it to their own computer.  Because it works over the Skype network, the file transfer is encrypted along with the rest of your communication.

How Encrypted File Transfers Can Benefit You

These secure file transfers can be particularly useful when dealing with confidential legal documents, trade secrets, valuable corporate insider information, medical records, and a host of other private files. Sniffers might be able to see that you are transferring something, but they will not be able to see the documents themselves or even the name of the file transferred.

Other benefits include the fact that there are no size limits to the files that are transferred so you can transfer big files very easily. Many email systems, especially the free ones, place size limits on attachments and won't let you transfer large files. This way your can make a large file transfer over the internet, such as transferring large photos, pdf's, video or an entire hard drive without file size limits.

Conclusion

Using Skype to transfer big files and make them secure file transfers can serve to protect you from disclosure of your most sensitive documents at the moment that they are most vulnerable to disclosure. The excellent level of encryption offered, along with the ease of use and the fact that it is completely free for a basic account makes Skype an excellent way to protect your privacy. 

This tool can be combined with other privacy protection tools, such as anonymous web surfing, protecting your IP address, getting the book How To Vanish,or can be used to engage in lawful hawala transactions to increase your level of privacy even more and potentially save a lot of money in taxes.