This Text Message Will Self Destruct 233
mwilliamson writes "Silicon.com is reporting that Staellium UK (cell provider) has created a protocol in which text messages disappear after 40 seconds. This, of course, relies on the implementation of the protocol in the device used to display the message. They're touting a future roll out for photos as well, and service in the US."
Does anyone see a different story? (Score:5, Interesting)
For me, the first thing that comes to mind from "self destructing SMS" is the advertising potential. Combined with a locator, you could now receive "Eat at Wendy's!" messages that expire so you don't have to delete them.
I don't really see it happening, but advertising in the old markets (TV, radio, newsprint) is not returning as big of a response as it used to. They'll always try to find more direct ways to advertise, and I wouldn't be surprised if this move is a predecessor to more direct advertising schemes.
Hopefully I'll be able to opt-in rather than opt-out of any such programs.
FWIW, I just can't imagine that people are SMS'ing proprietary information. If its private and confidential, keep it on paper (preferably typed with a typewriter). Digital information will always be too insecure.
Where article's $protocol = WAP (linked in txtmsg) (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:Does anyone see a different story? (Score:5, Interesting)
Oh, no. You'd be surprised.
At a certain national lab I used to work at, people used to SMS system login information - of course, the presence of additional security (e.g. a Cryptocard which is basically like an RSA random number generator tag) minimized the risks of someone breaking into the system, but you'd be surprised.
Re:Does anyone see a different story? (Score:3, Interesting)
For people who have unique security needs, though, I am surprised that they'd need to have SMS messages deleted. If someone sends you proprietary information through SMS, how hard is it to just delete it yourself? Why is 40 seconds picked over 30 seconds or 80 seconds? The idea that a company is spending R&D on this is bizarre to me. Why not just make a new SMS standard option called "Delete in X seconds" instead of making one preset timing?
Terrorists will love it (Score:3, Interesting)
Tom
There's a 16-year old out there (Score:2, Interesting)
Clearly, this is a bad idea.
All it will result in is more cyber-bullying, among other things.
Re:Does anyone see a different story? (Score:5, Interesting)
Indeed. I know if I walk around my office, I'm forced to conclude that probably 10-20% of all of our corporate communications are happening over MSN and Yahoo IM networks.
It seems everyone uses these wonderfully convenient things without ever stopping to realize that all of their data is travelling over someone else's network and that they have no control over it. I wouldn't be at all surprised that you could probably violate insider laws at dozens of companies just by being able to intercept MSN's traffic.
I complain about it frequently (I won't use MSN) but nobody seems to care that all of our internal decision making is way more public than we'd like to think. And this seems to travel from board-level down to the rest of us plebes -- it's almost become the defacto method of commincations.
Scary stuff, but people will use third party technologies for the damndest things without giving it a second thought.
Cheers