Deleting a set of related sent messages

[horizon]

To free up space in my Sent Messages folder, I sometimes delete all the separate messages in a set (to and from the same person) except the latest message (which also contains the history of the interchange i.e. all the other messages in a box below the actual last message).

My impression, however, is that doing this actually deletes some or all of the sent messages in the "history" box but retains the received messages. Am I right in this and is there some way round it if I am?

[admin]

I don't know what deleting Sent Messages does, you might find help if you Google "phpBB delete sent messages".

What do you mean by the "history" box?

phpBB private messages don't work like emails, they're more like private message board posts.

[PDQ Mobile]

I don't know what deleting Sent Messages does, you might find help if you Google "phpBB delete sent messages".

What do you mean by the "history" box?

phpBB private messages don't work like emails, they're more like private message board posts.

Seeing as your here...
How private are they?

[admin]

They're "private" in that only the sender and recipient(s) can read them.

They're not encrypted, so they're not "secure" like end-to-end-encrypted messages would be.

About as private as email, I suppose.

[PDQ Mobile]

They're "private" in that only the sender and recipient(s) can read them.

They're not encrypted, so they're not "secure" like end-to-end-encrypted messages would be.

About as private as email, I suppose.

Thanks.
You can't access them?

[admin]

As the server/Forum administrator I personally can read Forum private messages by looking in the database. But I don't have the time or reason to do so unless there's a particularly strong need.

I don't think anyone can view other people's private messages via the Forum, not even me as "admin".

Just as server administrators can potentially read the contents of normal emails, if they really wanted to. And similar to how Post Office workers can potentially read the contents of postcards sent through their sorting office.

[PDQ Mobile]

As the server/Forum administrator I personally can read Forum private messages by looking in the database. But I don't have the time or reason to do so unless there's a particularly strong need.

I don't think anyone can view other people's private messages via the Forum, not even me as "admin".

Just as server administrators can potentially read the contents of normal emails, if they really wanted to. And similar to how Post Office workers can potentially read the contents of postcards sent through their sorting office.

Thank you again, it's just nice to be informed in this age of internet.

Postcards from Benidorm (or Cuba) but not sealed letters one hopes.

I almost hesitate to ask, but when does "particularly strong need" arise?

[admin]

Once there was an "issue" where abusive PMs had been sent. And once someone wanted the contents of a PM they'd deleted, which I was able to get from a backup. I probably look at the PM table contents once every five years or so, on average.

The email equivalent of a sealed letter would be an encrypted message, typically sent using PGP. Unreadable by anyone other than the recipient, and only then with their private key to decrypt the message. [PGP is very clever, if you encrypt a message with someone's public key only their private key can decrypt it. And if you sign the message with your private key, anyone else can use your public key to validate that the message can only have been sent by you.]

Normal email is sent as plain text, even if the connections between servers is encrypted, so someone with access to one of the servers could potentially read the text. And without either the sender or recipient knowing.

[PDQ Mobile]

Once there was an "issue" where abusive PMs had been sent. And once someone wanted the contents of a PM they'd deleted, which I was able to get from a backup. I probably look at the PM table contents once every five years or so, on average.

The email equivalent of a sealed letter would be an encrypted message, typically sent using PGP. Unreadable by anyone other than the recipient, and only then with their private key to decrypt the message. [PGP is very clever, if you encrypt a message with someone's public key only their private key can decrypt it. And if you sign the message with your private key, anyone else can use your public key to validate that the message can only have been sent by you.]

Normal email is sent as plain text, even if the connections between servers is encrypted, so someone with access to one of the servers could potentially read the text. And without either the sender or recipient knowing.

Thanks again.
Somewhat beyond my scope, PGP and public and private keys.

[admin]

Somewhat beyond my scope, PGP and public and private keys.

Yeah, it should really be done for you automatically, in the background. This is what WhatsApp, Signal, and the other "end-to-end encrypted" messaging services do. They're much more secure (and private) than old-fashioned email.