Since the pandemic crisis, schools have made greater use of digital communication not only for sending private text but also to know how to safely send messages online. In the event of another global crisis, teachers, school staff and student leaders already know what it means to keep discussions private and secure when communicating online.
It’s important for teachers and students to think about the pros and cons of private messaging apps so they can stay safe when used in combination with educational apps.
What Exactly is a Messaging Platform?
A messaging platform lets users send messages, photos, images, audio and voice recordings via the Internet. Educators and learners use these private messaging platforms although not all are better equipped for privacy and security.
School teachers and students should have awareness about choosing a private messaging platform with encryption security features even for educational purposes. That way, the messages exchanged via the app are encrypted to ensure that messages such as personal information and grades are kept safe against third party intrusion; regardless of their purpose.
What Exactly is Encryption?
Encryption, by the way, is the process of scrambling information to protect data by using mathematical models. The message can be unscrambled only by the person who has custody of the deciphering keys, which enables that person to access and view the protected information or data.
Encryption in a private messaging app keeps messages shielded from third-party intervenors as they will find it impossible to read the private message that was encoded into ciphertext. Usually, a ciphertext is made up of a string of numbers called cryptographic keys that not even a computer can calculate the right combination of numbers.
Telegram, WhatsApp and FB Messenger are messaging apps that purport using end-to-end encryption. Yet they have been involved in cases that denote the platforms still have to beef up their privacy and security protocols. What’sApp, Messenger and Telegram are okay for casual communications but not in education messaging environments.
Need for Transport Layer Security
Transport Layer Security (TLS) is another important security feature that improves an ordinary, consumer-grade instant messaging app into a safe and secure private messaging tool. TLS encrypts the information sent as private messages in the Internet, to hide the data being transmitted; especially information involving passwords, PIN, credit card details and numbers and other personal information that eavesdroppers or hackers find useful in instant messaging.
Instead of cloaking data, the Transport Layer Security or TLS encrypts the connections between the communication device and the infrastructure providing the Internet network.
Private messaging communication tools that have exceptional security and user-productivity features are must-haves not only for educational institutions but also for governments and its agencies, particularly the industry regulatory offices.