http://www.gadgetsmagazine.com.ph JULY 2019 71
Secret Messages:
The benefits of encrypted conversations
News of data breaches has become
commonplace. The only thing that makes it
a bigger news story is the extent of damage
done to victims and the amount it will cost
companies.Anyone who is on the internet and using any
cloud-based service is susceptible to hacking or
cyberthreat.In the Philippines, there are 119 million mobile
subscribers to which 47% of users are either
browsing Facebook or chatting using its free
messaging app.Last year, the National Privacy Commission
requested the social media company to submit
a Data Breach Notification Report to identify
the 755,973 affected Philippine-based users in
compliance with NPC Circular No. 16-03.The social media company revealed a
vulnerability attributed to an exploit of
Facebook’s “View As” feature, through which
hackers managed to generate access tokens
which allowed intruders to log on to affected FB
profiles using a “key” to one’s accounts without
having to type in a password.This incident generated instant reactions from
its users that started numerous conversations
about data privacy.In Republic Act 10173 otherwise known as Data
Privacy Act of 2012, people whose personal
information is collected, stored, and processed
are called data subjects. Organizations who deal
with your personal details, whereabouts, and
preferences are duty-bound to observe and
respect data subjects’ data privacy rights.However, people must remember that scandals—
sexual, political, or simply personal—arise because
sensitive information falls into the wrong hands.
So, how do you safeguard yourself from possible
breaches and avoid being the next data breach
victim? Here are what you need to keep in mind:- Think twice before backing up your
messages. There are many benefits of encrypted
messaging. One of these is that communications
are coded in order to make information unavailable
to third parties. When two or more devices
communicate via an app, the information will be
transmitted using a secret code rather than a plain
text. But here’s one good point to remember, often,
your scrambled messages are unscrambled when
they are backed up to the cloud. Which means, the
government can demand your cloud provider—
Apple or Google—to retrieve and turn over your
messages from its servers. - Make sure your app uses encrypted
messaging. When you say end-to-end encrypted
messaging, it means all messages that are sent from
your device to the person you’re communicating
with are in the form of a code that only the
recipient’s device can translate to plain text. Which
makes it impossible for anyone—even the app
maker—to see what’s being said.- Consider deleting messages you never
meant to send. Viber, for one, offers a Delete
Message option that will allow you to delete any
message from both the sender and recipient’s
device. It will totally remove the message even if it
has already been seen. Once deleted, the content
can never be viewed again. - Use secret or hidden chats when possible. If
you want extra privacy when you send messages,
use your chat app’s secret chat features, if it’s
available. Viber has a Secret Chats option that allows
you to set a self-destruct time for every message
you send in the chat. If you’re an Android user,
the recipient can’t take a screenshot of the chat
while for iPhone user, the recipient will receive a
notification that a screenshot has been taken. But
if you want a conversation to not appear in the
chat list, then use Viber’s Hidden Chats function.
These are normal chats, but they are kept in a secret
section of the app that only the sender can access
with a PIN. - Keep your apps updated. One of the best
ways to make sure that you stay secure is to keep
your mobile and desktop software up-to-date.
Oftentimes software updates are done when app
developers find a security bug or when enterprising
hackers have become familiar with the code
and have already created hacks to break them.
So, update your chat apps when a new version
becomes available.
With all the prying eyes everywhere on the Internet,
it boils down to the need to be vigilant when
people talk about privacy and security. People need
to remember to always be careful in choosing the
app that people use in all aspects of their lives.Use apps’ secret messaging features.Viber’s Hidden Chats function needs a PIN.