As mobile devices become an increasingly major part of our lives and texting become a primary form of communication, it's time to consider these messages as more than casual conversations between friends and family. The days of brushing text messages off as insignificant communication are over. While there is still a heavy volume of "text speak" to sift through, many are finding that messages sent via SMS are becoming increasingly relevant.
According to an article in the online publication Triblive News, a proposal is currently being considered by Congress that would force mobile carriers to store text messages and present them to law enforcement agencies if and when they are needed in criminal investigations. This proposal would update the Electronic Communications Privacy Act, the first of its kind since the act was enacted in 1986.
While the bill has received some opposition from privacy activists, those involved in law enforcement have given it their full support. Associations representing district attorneys, police chiefs and county sheriffs, among other legal organizations, wrote a letter to Vermont Senator Patrick Leahy, chairman of the Committee on the Judiciary, making a strong case for the proposal.
"Today's electronic communications devices are silent witnesses to the vast majority of crimes," the letter said.
Should this bill pass, not only will text messages between individuals carry more weight in legal settings, so will those sent by organizations. SMS communication sent for text message marketing purposes probably won't be affected, but emergency texts – typically sent by organizations as a danger alert – likely will.
As such, organizations should consult with an SMS services provider to ensure they are properly constructing messages all messages. Swift SMS Gateway offers the tools needed to initiate all SMS campaigns.
