Lesson 11
Who Can Read Your Messages
Find where a message is opened on its way to someone, and the copies and records that sit outside even end-to-end encryption.
Builds on
Where does the envelope open?
Imagine a messaging app that encrypts your message between your phone and its server, like the secure connection in What Public Wi-Fi Can See. At the server, the envelope is opened, a readable copy is stored, and the message is sealed again for the trip to your friend. Nobody on the café Wi-Fi can read it, but the company can, along with anyone who gets into its servers.
So “encrypted” on its own doesn’t answer the question that matters. Ask instead: where is the envelope opened, and who holds the keys to open it?