Introduction
Text messaging has become one of the fastest and most familiar ways to communicate. For many professionals, of all ages, sending a quick text can be faster and easier than logging into a secure system or placing an encrypted call.
When you start involving sensitive information, however, that convenience quickly becomes a liability.
People frequently share Protected Health Information (PHI) — along with financial data, personal identifiers, and internal business details — through insecure channels. They don’t have malicious intent. Oftentimes, these are hardworking professionals who are usually careful
These common communication tools were simply never designed to protect very sensitive data.
Why Isn’t Texting Secure by Default?
Standard SMS and many consumer messaging apps were built for speed and accessibility, but not confidentiality or compliance. You may not mind for most friendly conversations, but that lack of security may endanger your private information.
Text messages are often stored on devices unencrypted, backed up to personal cloud accounts, and transmitted through systems that lack strong security controls. Compared to your workplace network, for example, your phone has far fewer safeguards. Many people can view their texts on locked screens, forward messages without restriction, and even recover SMS if their phone gets lost, stolen, or shared.
Can you? Just how secure are your communications?
Once you send a text, the sender loses control over where it goes, how long someone else retains it, and who ultimately sees those messages.
Specific Risks of Texting PHI
PHI encompasses names, medical details, appointment information, diagnoses, insurance data, and anything else that can identify an individual in a healthcare context. Regulations, such as HIPAA, exist because exposure of this information can cause real harm. For instance, consider the 2025 breach on Blue Shield, which affected nearly 5M people.
How can texting PHI harm your data privacy? A wrong number, unlocked phone, or automatic backup can turn a routine message into a serious cyber-incident. Even well-meaning updates, such as appointment reminders or test results, can become compliance issues when they’re sent through unsecured channels.
The danger lies in how normal the behavior feels. On the flip side, you can also help protect your own PHI.
Why Insecure Communication Goes Beyond Texting
Text messages are not the only risky channel. Unsecured email, personal messaging apps, and informal file-sharing tools can create similar problems.
Common examples include:
- Sending patient information through personal email accounts
- Sharing screenshots that include sensitive data
- Discussing cases in group chats without access controls
- Uploading files to unapproved cloud storage
Each shortcut increases exposure and reduces your visibility into where your sensitive information lives.
Hidden Costs of a Communication Mistake
Insecure communication does not just create regulatory risk. It also creates operational and human consequences.
Investigations, notifications, audits, and potential fines require time and resources. Trust with patients and clients can erode quickly. Employees involved in the incident may experience stress, fear, or uncertainty, even when the mistake was unintentional. For all of these reasons, companies can struggle to come back from a serious breach.
Many data privacy leaks begin with a simple attempt to be helpful or efficient.
How to Safely Communicate Sensitive Information
We can’t stop work entirely. Thankfully, we don’t have to stop working in order to protect PHI. You just have to use tools designed for the task.
Organizations should rely on secure messaging platforms, encrypted email, and approved systems that provide access controls, audit logs, and retention policies. Pay attention to your security awareness training so that you learn how to recognize when information crosses into sensitive territory, and understand which channels are appropriate for communicating that data.
When in doubt, pause and choose a safer method. It’s always better than sending a quick, convenient message that you cannot take back.
Conclusion
Texting feels harmless because it is familiar. That same familiarity makes it dangerous to involve sensitive information.
PHI and other confidential data deserve protection, which consumer communication tools cannot reliably provide. By understanding the risks of insecure communication, and choosing secure alternatives instead, organizations can reduce exposure, protect individuals, and prevent everyday convenience from becoming a serious incident.
The post The Dangers of Texting PHI and Using Insecure Communication appeared first on Cybersafe.
