Stop using SMS
SMS isn't a private means of communicating.
It's hard to recommend utilizing SMS for anything serious these days.
If you aren't aware, the basics are:
- SMS isn't securely stored or transmitted
- SMS can generally be ready by government entities
- SMS support networks like SS7 have known vulnerabilities
So if it includes anything you don't want the entire world to potentially know about, you should use a secure messaging app that you trust instead.
Sadly, the only option that stands above the rest is Signal. Hopefully as more people pay attention to data privacy we'll see some competition in the consumer secure messaging space.
Signal Messenger: Speak Freely
Say “hello” to a different messaging experience. An unexpected focus on privacy, combined with all of the features you expect.
This is a link to Signal's website
The only way this works is if more and more people use Signal so that it becomes ubiquitous in the way that WhatsApp has become outside of the United States. Although, let's avoid the Meta trap if we can.
Signal is not suitable for discussing or sharing government secrets, despite it's current use in the Department of Defense.