Modern communication relies heavily on text messages. For quick interactions with family members, coworkers, and friends, we use them. Our privacy can also be compromised by text messages. When sensitive information is shared via text, it potentially be seen by unintended parties and used in ways we don’t intend. Protecting the privacy of your text messages is crucial for maintaining control over your personal information.
Risks of unsecured texts
Standard SMS text messages are not encrypted. It means they are transmitted in plain text and theoretically accessible to service providers, hackers, and government agencies. While your mobile carrier may not be actively monitoring your texts, your messages do pass through their systems where they could be collected and stored.
- Data collection: Your text messages contain personal information that companies may want to collect for marketing purposes or to sell.
- Hacking: Criminals could access your texts through malware on your device or by intercepting messages during transmission. It can lead to identity theft, blackmail, or other nefarious purposes.
- Government surveillance: Government agencies may monitor or collect your texts to track communications. It occurs legally through subpoenas and warrants or illegally through backdoor access and bulk data collection programs.
- Leaking: Texts easily be screenshotted and shared by recipients, allowing their content to spread beyond just you and the intended recipient.
Enabling two-factor authentication
In messaging apps, two-factor authentication adds a layer of security. An authenticator app and two forms of authentication are required to access your account via 2FA. Enabling 2FA helps ensure that only you access your encrypted chats, even if your password is compromised. Most secure messaging apps give you the option to turn on 2FA.
Securing your messages with privnote
For situations where you need to send sensitive information over standard unsecured SMS, PrivNote is an option that essentially allows you to send self-destructing texts.
- Go to use the PrivNote mobile app.
- Type out your private message.
- Click ‘Create Note’. It will generate a unique link.
- Copy the link and paste it into an unsecured text message to the intended recipient.
- The recipient clicks the link to view your private note. After it’s read, the note disappears from PrivNote’s servers.
The message content is encrypted while stored on PrivNote and accessible only by clicking the unique link. It prevents the actual message content from being sent through regular unsecured means like SMS. Just remove the PrivNote link from your messaging app after sending.
Securing texts stored on your phone
- Use a virtual private network (VPN) to encrypt all network traffic going to and from your device. Texts will be protected while being transmitted this way.
- Enable the screen lock on your phone using a hard-to-crack password or biometric lock like a fingerprint. It prevents unauthorized physical access.
- Keep a backup of your text message history on a cloud storage service or an encrypted hard drive. It protects your data even if your phone gets lost, stolen, or damaged.
- Delete sensitive text conversations whenever they are no longer needed. The less private information stored on your phone, the better.
