NYT As Elites Switch to Texting Watchdogs Fear Loss of Transparency

beSpacific 2017-07-16

As Elites Switch to Texting, Watchdogs Fear Loss of Transparency, Kevin Roose – “Lawmakers, executives and other leaders are turning to encrypted chat apps to keep their communications under wraps, causing problems in industries where careful record-keeping is standard procedure…Secure messaging apps like WhatsApp, Signal and Confide are making inroads among lawmakers, corporate executives and other prominent communicators. Spooked by surveillance and wary of being exposed by hackers, they are switching from phone calls and emails to apps that allow them to send encrypted and self-destructing texts. These apps have obvious benefits, but their use is causing problems in heavily regulated industries, where careful record-keeping is standard procedure. “‘By and large, email is still used for formal conversations,’ said Juleanna Glover, a corporate consultant based in Washington. ‘But for quick shots…texting is the medium of choice.’”