Text Messages: Are They Private?

These days, most savvy consumers know that anything written in an e-mail might someday become public knowledge. E-mails are archived and stored on central servers, waiting out there in cyberspace to come back and bite you. But what about texting? Are your text messages going to get you into trouble?

It’s an issue that’s dominating the news in Detroit, where Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick is currently embroiled in a scandal brought about, largely, by the existence of text message evidence. As Mike Wendland of the Detroit Free Press points out, though, the devices in question in the Kilpatrick case are unique - instead of typical consumer cell phones or BlackBerrys, the city of Detroit provides its public servants with a more specialized product, called a SkyWriter. These “messaging devices” are owned and operated by a private firm.

And, since the firm - SkyTel - runs all data through its own servers, Kilpatrick’s messages were easily retrievable. In fact, SkyTel is specifically tasked by its corporate and government clients to provide archives of all documents and communications. In essence, the Mayor of Detroit, was foolish. His behavior is the equivalent of sending racy emails through your work account.

The entire saga, though, did raise an interesting question for many cell phone users. Should you be concerned that someone out there is combing through your private digital notes?

For typical users, the archiving of text messages is not something to be concerned with. Representatives from the major carriers all confirm that your outgoing text messages are only preserved on the network until they’re delivered to the recipient - and even then, if the message is not delivered within a week or so, the record is permanently erased. Once your text is deleted from your phone, it’s gone. It, of course, will continue to exist on your friend’s phone as an incoming message - but there’s no need to worry about a central server hoarding records of every message you send.

On the other side of the coin, there are ways to track outgoing texts from selected cell phones. Radar, a service presumably intended for parents, is able to route all text messages through a Web site for easy access by a third party. For $9.95, parents can keep tabs on what their kids are typing, and who they’re typing it to.

The moral of the story? Unless you’re (a) a child with protective parents or (b) dumb enough to use a corporate device to send your love letters, your text messages are probably safe from uninvited scrutiny. They’ll simply dissolve into the ether once sent.

For now.