StealthText: Self Destructing Text Message Service

UK Company Launches Self Destructing Text Message ServiceA UK company is introducing a “StealthText” service which sends self-destructing mobile phone text messages.

Messages sent via StealthText will vanish after 40 seconds onscreen with the company, Staellium UK, hoping that the service will prove popular with business executives dealing in sensitive information. We can think of a host of rather more dodgy applications for the service too – how about the thousands of people having affairs via SMS?

The company is claiming that their ‘Mission Impossible’ style auto-destructing texts have already picked up interest from financial services companies, the Ministry of Defence, celebrity agents.

The Stealth Text service requires both sender and receiver to sign-up by texting STEALTH to 80880. This provides a link to download the StealthText applet via a WAP connection. Ten self-destructing messages will cost £5.

Users signed up to the service will receive a text notification showing the senders name and providing a link to the message.

The recipient must open the link and read the message within 40 seconds (tough luck, slow readers!) before it vanishes into the ether forever, leaving no trace in the phone’s memory.

UK Company Launches Self Destructing Text Message Service“The ability to send a self-destruct message has massive benefits for people from all walks of life, from everyday mobile users, through to celebrities and business people, but this is just the start,” said Staellium CEO Carole Barnum, adding that the company intends to extend the service to include self-destructing email, voice and picture messages in spring 2006.

Currently only available around the world for users of UK SIM cards only, the company plans to make the service available across Europe, in the US and Asia next year.

Seeing as they intend to be dealing in highly confidential information, we have to say that their truly awful Website hardly inspires confidence – it looks like something knocked up by a spammer in a hurry.

Ever heard of using style sheets to provide a full Web experience for people on PCs as well as a bare-bones WAP version, guys?

Staellium