| − | '''Instant messaging''' (IM) is faster than [[email]] and enables text conversations in real time. Some IM applications have a voice component and are thus equivalent to an Internet phone call with a text supplement. IM very popular on the Internet, although it is normally not [[encrypted]]. If IM messages are encrypted in transit, they are decrypted when it reaches the server that is providing the messaging service. It has already been revealed by [[Edward Snowden]] and others that the [[NSA]] is recording almost all of the instant messaging traffic using [[PRISM]] and other tools. So, you can be sure that the [[NSA]] is getting all of your messages if you are using any major messaging provider such as: | + | '''Instant messaging''' (IM) is faster than [[email]] and enables text conversations in real time. Some IM applications have a voice component and are thus equivalent to an Internet phone call with a text supplement. IM very popular on the Internet, although it is normally not [[encryption|encrypted]]. If IM messages are encrypted in transit, they are decrypted when it reaches the server that is providing the messaging service. It has already been revealed by [[Edward Snowden]] and others that the [[NSA]] is recording almost all of the instant messaging traffic using [[PRISM]] and other tools. So, you can be sure that the [[NSA]] is getting all of your messages if you are using any major messaging provider such as: |