Editing Text messaging (section)

=== Security concerns ===
Experts have advised business users not to use consumer SMS for confidential communication. The contents of common SMS messages are known to the network operator's systems and personnel. Therefore, consumer SMS is not an appropriate technology for secure communications.<ref name="Gartner Research Analytical Source">{{cite web|url=http://www.gartner.com/DisplayDocument?doc_cd=111720 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20021214035759/http://www3.gartner.com/DisplayDocument?doc_cd=111720 |url-status=dead |archive-date=14 December 2002 |title=Don't Use SMS for Confidential Communication |publisher=Gartner Group |date=26 November 2002 |access-date=29 March 2012}}</ref> To address this issue, many companies use an [[SMS gateway]] provider based on [[Signaling System 7|SS7]] connectivity to route the messages. The advantage of this international termination model is the ability to route data directly through [[Signaling System 7|SS7]], which gives the provider visibility of the complete path of the SMS. This means SMS messages can be sent directly to and from recipients without having to go through the [[Short Message Service Centre|SMS-C]] of other mobile operators. This approach reduces the number of mobile operators that handle the message; however, experts have advised not to consider it as an end-to-end secure communication, as the content of the message is exposed to the [[SMS gateway]] provider.

An alternative approach is to use end-to-end security software that runs on both the sending and receiving device, where the original text message is transmitted in encrypted form as a consumer SMS. By using key rotation, the encrypted text messages stored under [[Telecommunications data retention|data retention]] laws at the network operator cannot be decrypted even if one of the devices is compromised. A problem with this approach is that communicating devices needs to run compatible software. Failure rates without backward notification can be high between carriers.{{Citation needed|date=May 2014}} International texting can be unreliable depending on the country of origin, destination and respective operators. Differences in the [[character set]]s used for coding can cause a text message sent from one country to another to become unreadable.