Google SMS and wireless carriers that save your text messages….
Yesterday we covered the news that Google is expanding their search to the mobile arena with their new Google SMS service which lets you search by sending text messages from your cellphone. The service is primarily targeted at looking up business listings, residential listings, product prices (Froogle!), and word definitions. Google has a handy pocket-sized tip sheet here.
Two things worth noting. First of all, for a lot of people sending and receiving SMS text messages still costs money, so you'll definitely want to double check what your plan is before you mobile googling everything in sight. Second, unlike web searches which are somewhat anonymous, when you use Google SMS Google logs an encrypted version of the incoming phone number, the wireless carrier associated with the number, and the date and time of the transaction. It's unclear if they log the search query and if that is matched up with your phone number. Not that it matters all that much, but it's also possible your carrier is storing copies of all your text messages already.
Don't believe us? AT&T Wireless handed over all the SMS messages related to the recent Kobe Byrant case. After the incident the accuser in the case text messaged two people—her previous boyfriend and a mystery person— and the judge in the case ordered AT&T Wireless to hand over all the messages 4 months after the messages were sent. When we called AT&T we were told customers don't have access to their own messages, but all evidence seems to indicate that the SMS messages are stored indefinitely. Other carriers have different policies, but at least with some carriers are holding onto them.
