What is it? Ephemeral messaging, or
self-destructive messaging, is a system where messages are deleted after a
certain period of time after being read. Messages can be text, images, videos
or emails. The process usually involves encryption during transfer and strong
password walls to verify users before messages are viewed. A certain period of
time after the message is viewed it is deleted on both the sender’s and
receiver’s devices, as well as the system servers. Examples of platforms that
use ephemeral messaging are Snapchat, Wickr, Mirage, Dust, Confide and Facebook
Messenger.
Purpose. Internet users have limited
control over their online content, ephemeral messaging offers an increased
level of privacy. It provides protection against a widespread distribution of
the content you send and keeps conversations private from others. Since no
record is maintained, someone with your device is unable to read those
messages. Ephemeral messaging helps those who are hiding activities, which
could be for privacy in everyday life up to hiding illegal activity or
threatening messages that could otherwise be used in court. Generally,
ephemeral messaging is for users to communicate without leaving a copy of
everything they send to be permanently recorded. See this video (start at 2:45) for more information on benefits of ephemeral messaging.
How secure is it? It is impossible for ephemeral
messaging to be perfectly secure. Some platforms have tools to prevent screenshots
of messages, or require a finger to be on the screen to make it more difficult.
However, this doesn’t prevent a user from having an external camera to take a
picture of the content while viewing the message. There is also the possibility
that the service provider doesn’t destroy their copy of the message. The apps’
companies may also collect some information for analysis or to sell to
advertisers, or be forced to surrender that information when asked by the NSA
or through the legal process for an employer or school. For more information see
this website discussing potential security issues in ephemeral
messaging. Despite the lack of perfect security, ephemeral messaging is more
secure than regular messaging. The chances of the message content being released
much lower, providing a more private means of communication.
Apps. The most popular app for
ephemeral messaging is Snapchat. It has had some issues,
such as getting hacked and potentially not deleting photos off their servers. Confide
is another app, which has a feature requiring the user to drag their finger to
reveal each line of the message, making it more difficult to copy the message. Facebook
Messenger has a new feature, Secret Conversation, which includes
encryption. Wickr allows its users to set the duration of auto-destruction
on their messages. See this website for more information on popular
ephemeral messaging apps.
Use
in Business.
Ephemeral messaging has begun to spread into business use. These apps could be
useful in the communication of private and sensitive information. It can be
essentially used as a digital version of in-person meetings or phone calls, in
lieu of emails which maintain the information sent. Ephemeral messaging could
protect businesses in the case of hacking, where their conversations would be
vulnerable if stored. Sensitive information won’t be stored, where it has the
potential to be found. Though ephemeral may not be for all communication, it
may be used for information the company/entity wishes to keep private. This
type of communication could be useful in government, hospitals, senior-citizen
care, law enforcement, fire departments and financial institutions. Some
regulation may be necessary to incorporate ephemeral messaging in business,
this website outlines some possible regulations.
I
cannot say if ephemeral messaging will be widely used, but it has benefits
which gives it the potential to become commonplace. It offers a step towards
making information on the Internet less permanent.
Works Cited
I think that the growth of ephemeral messaging is really cool. Snapchat is a pretty popular source of ephemeral messaging, however, it allows screenshots and sharing stories with other friends. I was not aware of other messaging platforms until now and I think that it could be very useful in the world. However, it worries me because it could be used the wrong way. Say a business transaction is happening and unethical messaging goes on behind the scenes. There would be no way to get those messages or prove that they happened. I also am worried that the exchange of illegal photos such as child porn or other criminal activity could be communicated on these platforms. But everything comes with pro's and con's so I think that this is overall a good idea.
ReplyDeleteI wasn't previously familiar with the wide variety of ephemeral messaging options. When snapchat first became popular with my age-group I didn't give much thought to the security of the content. The whole idea of seeing a message for mere second increments and then having them disappear was confusing to me. I think the idea is very interesting but there is some danger in having messages that can never be found after the initial conversation. People can basically say anything they want and then no one can prove otherwise.
ReplyDeleteI had never really thought of ephemeral messaging as being like an in-person conversation, but that comparison makes a lot of sense. In-person conversations or those using ephemeral messaging could potentially be recorded by someone, but the chances and ease of possibly creating a permanent copy of the conversation are much smaller and harder. Like most technologies, there are pros and cons. I don't like the idea of making doing bad things easier. However, there are good, legitimate uses of ephemeral messaging like those listed in the blog post in regards to business uses that make this technology potentially very good and valuable.
ReplyDeleteThere is a lot of potential to be had with ephemeral messaging. The various apps out there offer a greater chance of privacy for the average person. However, as Molly pointed out, there can be some harm with messages that can self-destruct. Someone could be harassed on one of these messaging platforms but left unable to prove it or do much of anything about it due to the app's very nature.
ReplyDeleteI downloaded Confide today, and played around with it with my girlfriend for a while. I was surprised at how mindful the developers were of privacy concerns. There are all sorts of available through this application. I can't think of a real need to use ephemeral messaging right now, but I can see the benefits for others. I thought it was interesting that you mentioned ephemeral messaging in a business setting. This makes perfect sense to me. Both of my parents work in fields in which they have to be extremely careful about the information that is sent via email or text between coworkers, and I could see how this form of communication could be beneficial in that sense. However, there are definitely a few harmful situations I can imagine. What happens in the case of a murder when the murderer texted his entire plan with a confession via Confide, but that message was encrypted during transportation and from the Confide admins themselves? Or in the case of potential terrorists plotting a future attack. Do we just shrug and say "oh well, conspiracy is legal if you're smart about how you do it," or do we mandate a key or a backdoor for law enforcement, in no small part defeating the purpose of having messages that self destruct? Or possibly allow for the option of obtaining a warrant to intercept these messages before they are destroyed with the cooperation of the developers? I would venture to say that in a lot of instances ephemeral messaging is harder to track than spoken conversation. And to be honest, I'm not exactly sure if or how we will decide to regulate it.
ReplyDeleteI keep wondering if public safety outweighs personal privacy in this case. As has already been mentioned, it offers a platform to converse, plan, (etc.) criminal activity and it may also be used for bullying or threatening messages. But if this technology already exists, it will continue to develop, despite enforcement. I don't think there is a way to stop the use of it.
ReplyDeleteI think the invention of ephemeral messaging was inevitable as soon as people started finding out that their current messages stick around even when they are deleted. I don't see anything at all wrong with the technology itself, and think it is a legitimate form of communication. Because of the fact that many ephemeral messaging apps were not created in the U.S. regulating them, or forcing the developers to make the technology less secure is all but impossible. The thing that scares me more, however, is services like Snapchat that put on the appearance of being ephemeral messaging services, whilst retaining all of the communications that are made on their own servers.
ReplyDeleteI've personally never used any form of ephemeral messaging, not even Snapchat. The reasons for this are varied, including the fact that I don't really use social media, but also the fact that I find it very convenient to look back on conversations I've had for information. I can definitely understand the advantages ephemeral messagin provides, but I don't see myself using it unless it becomes absolutely necessary/so commonplace that it becomes the de facto way to communicate.
ReplyDeleteI love using ephemeral messaging, and in this case I mean Snapchat. I haven't used any other forms of ephemeral messaging, so I don't understand them completely. Although, I can definitely see the use in them, especially in business. It could make conversations that convey HIPPA or FERPA or any sensitive information more confidential, and that can be a great thing for privacy. However, I see that the net benefit of using these services could become moot because of the extra hoops that you would have to jump through to make this messaging happen. I can see that it could create more problems than it is worth, maybe if the information is time sensitive and it is a life threatening situation at the hospital. There would be no time to use ephemeral messaging. And because of this, I don't think that it should be used in a business setting.
ReplyDeleteMaybe I'm just a kermudgeon, but I do not understand the appeal of ephemeral messaging at all. In particular, I like to have a log of every conversation which I can refer back to. I can't remember everything, after all!
ReplyDeleteI suppose this goes way back to my comment at the beginning of the semester on The Star Wars Kid. The only was to ensure something is not recorded is to not record it in the first place. Because of the various ways around Ephemeral messaging (screenshots, external camera), I couldn't trust such a service with information I needed to have gone after a certain time. Better in that case to meet the person face-to-face!
I don't really see me using ephemeral messaging systems, but I can see the appeal. It's disconcerting to think that my messages still exist, even when I delete them. However, it is less convenient to use an ephemeral messaging service. And, as Simon pointed out, I wouldn't necessarily trust the service with fully deleting the messages even then. It's a trade-off either way.
ReplyDeleteI don't think that I would use ephemeral messaging for messages that I would not want to be publicly known. I feel there are too many ways for those messages to be released, whether the recipient takes a photo of the message or the service provider keeps the messages on its servers like Snapchat did. Due to these risks I would not use it. However, if more people begin to use it I would like to use ephemeral messaging for all of my messages simply because it increases my privacy, but for messages I absolutely do not want to have publicly known I would meet the other party in person.
ReplyDeleteI wonder what policies most ephemeral messaging companies have regarding their apps being used for illegal purposes. Are they required to keep some sort of copy on a server or are the messages truly self-destructing? How would that implicate them in investigations? I remember a while back Snapchat was hacked and now a Pandora's box has been opened where multiple sites now offer services for individuals to "hack into" a person's account. The fact that Snapchat has expanded their features to allow people to save images as "memories" and the new snap-viewing style allows people to easily take screenshots, I think Snapchat might be trying to protect their reputation by giving users more opportunities to compromise their own privacy. Just a thought. In general, ephemeral messaging seems like it is trying to be the new "safest" way of confidentially sending information across a medium where copies and digital trails are a baked-in element, but I don't think there is any way to completely eliminate that aspect of the internet. Like others have said, I agree that the only true way of confidentially sending information is in person or through more analog means.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Kali. I imagine that ephemeral messaging will become increasingly more advanced and more available. I also don't know how we could regulate it. The only possibilities I can think of aren't really possibilities at all, as they would contradict the nature of ephemeral messaging. It's sort of like our discussion on the dark web last week. We are pretty much powerless when it comes to tracking those discussing illegal activity both on the dark web and in ephemeral messaging.
ReplyDeleteI support the widespread usage of ephemeral messaging. As shown in the video hyper-linked to this podcast, we live in a different age where concrete messages are not secure, and storing that information is not always beneficial. Our messaging should correspond with the times, and I believe that it is especially advantageous for those who have privacy concerns. Of course, there are loopholes in ephemeral messaging, and there are risks; yet, I feel that as surveillance, tracking, and hackers become more prevalent, our methods of countering them should be developed and improved as well. For myself, I use email and text messages, but I also use Snap Chat and Facebook messenger. I would think that my usage corresponds with most people's usage of ephemeral messaging.
ReplyDeleteWhile ephemeral messaging is a cool idea, it is difficult to trust any program that advertises that they won't save your messages or identify you after services like Snapchat and Yik-yak have broken that promise. I'm sure there are examples of trustworthy apps but until one of those gets more mainstream attention ephemeral messaging will stay a niche form of communication. Ephemeral messaging is definitely a useful tool, and once there is a reliable app that gains some traction I'm sure the market will take off.
ReplyDelete