Are Your Texts a Security Risk?

I see you, even if I don’t want to

“I desperately need lip gloss.”

The words floated a few feet from my face, trapped in an iPhone Messages screen with the text turned up to what I can only guess is the largest possible size.

I didn’t want to read these texts, but the giant black text on a white screen was directly in my line of sight as we all waited to depart the commuter train. I was a few feet behind the woman and was not trying to read her phone, but I guarantee that anyone within a ten-foot radius could.

There was more about how busy the train is and that it felt like “everyone is here.” I tended to agree and then stopped myself. I did not want to read her texts.

I turned my head to the ceiling and found I could still see the words in my peripheral vision, so I started dramatically rubbing my eyes as if I were tired.

As we left the train, I started thinking about the huge security risk this presents. Sure, I get it. Our smartphones now have ultra-high-resolution screens. The iPhone 13 Pro, for instance, has a Super Retina XDR 2532 x 1170 pixel display (460ppi). Things can get insanely small. The older we get, the harder it is to read that text in apps, social media, and especially Messages.