How to Send Self-Destructing Messages on Slack.
Passwords and confidential information are exchanged more often in conversation with Slack than you might think. This practice is not only harmful to your accounts, but it also poses a huge security risk to your organization. Many messaging platforms like Telegram and Facebook Messenger have started implementing self-destructing or secret messages in their products, and you should go too. Here are some of the best ways to send self-destructing messages in Slack. Let’s start.
Slack is a great tool for effective communication in an organization, and there are many bots and apps that make integration and automation a lot easier. Self-destructing applications allow you to send text messages, multimedia files that are automatically removed from the conversation after a certain period of time. However, remember that Slack only allows you to delete messages that you send. You cannot delete messages sent to you by other people, even if you have administrator rights.
The usual way
By default, Slack allows all members to delete (or edit) their own posts in both public and private channels. So, if for some reason you cannot install a bot to self-destruct messages, you can easily delete messages manually.
Just click the More Options button next to the conversation and select Delete Message. This will remove the message from the conversation on all clients. If you don’t see the Delete Message option, it is likely that your owners or workspace administrators have revoked these permissions. In such cases, you can use the following app, which allows you to send self-destructive messages without using the Slack app.
Also Read: Best Slack Apps to Improve Your Communication
Send self-destructing messages on Slack
1. Privnote
If your workplace settings do not allow the installation of bots and applications, you can use Privnote to send self-destructive messages. Privnote is a simple tool that sends a private message enclosed in an encrypted URL and deletes it as soon as the recipient reads it.
To send a self-destructive message, just go to the Privnote website, there you will see the only field in which you write your message. You can also protect your message with a password or set a time limit, for example, immediately after reading, 1 hour or several days, etc., After which the message will self-destruct. Then click “Create note”. The field is replaced with a link that you can copy to the clipboard and send via Slack. When the recipient clicks on the link, Privnote downloads the original message and automatically deletes it.
Privnote isn’t ideal for sending secret messages to Slack, however, as you can easily take a screenshot or copy and paste information.
2. Tim
If your workplace allows you to install third-party apps in Slack, then it’s better to use your own app called Timy.
Timy is a simple scheduling app that schedules your text messages in Slack, but also lets you delete text messages at a specific time frame. You can add Timy to your workspace from his website or search the app catalog. Once added, you can simply type / send “your message” at “time” to schedule a message. To send a self-destruct message, enter / delete “your message” in the “time in minutes” field. For instance,
/ delete I'm hungry, anyone for pizza in 5 minutes
/ delete I will be late for my appointment at 12.30
3. Confidential message
The next bot is an open source application that allows you to send secret messages to Slack. This app is a little different as it doesn’t show any text until you hit the open button. This will prevent anyone from spying on your conversations. Just add this app to your workspace and enter “/ secret” followed by text on channel or as DM. For instance:
/ secret I know what you did last summer
It is delivered as a bot response and you need to click to open its contents. Once you open the content, the message will be deleted after you restart Slack. This method works best if you are using Slack on your phone. Although on the desktop client, the message will remain the same. To fix this, it also has a manual delete button that any member can click after they read the contents of the secret message.
Must Read: 22 Best Slack Slash Teams for Power Users
4. Displaced m
Shred.me is the most popular bot for sending sensitive information to Slack. This app does not send any information through Slack channels, instead it generates an encrypted link that will expire after a one-time use. This adds an extra layer of security to your sensitive information. To get the bot, you can search the app directory or add it from here.
To send a self-destructive link, type “/ shred” followed by a secret message and press Enter. It generates a link that you can share with anyone. When the link is opened, it destroys the content after the tab is closed, and shows an error on reopening. Shred.me is best sent confidential without sending data via Slack.
Shred.me offers several options for deleting Slack messages. For example, you can send a message that will self-destruct after “n” views, a few minutes, or even protect your message with a password. For instance,
/ shred -x 5 views -p pass123 Keys are stored under the mattress.
This will create a message that self-destructs after 5 views, protected by the password “pass123”.
5. Slack Deleter
Okay, now you’ve used Slack bot apps that let you send self-destructing messages. What if you want to delete backup messages in bulk? This is especially useful when you want to find something important in Slack; because the free version of Slack only allows you to search the last 10,000 posts.
Slack Deleter is a Chrome extension that removes bulk messages. You can install it in your Chrome browser and download the extension in the Slack window. You can delete messages based on time, users or direct messages.
It can even clear one channel in the free version. You can upgrade to unlock all features for just $ 1. In general, the extension works fine, but when deleting direct conversations, it can only delete your messages, and the texts of the interlocutors remain, which reduces the efficiency by up to 50%.
The best way to delete messages on Slack?
These were some of the ways to send self-destructing messages to Slack. I use Shred.me when I need to send extremely sensitive content via email or Slack because it keeps the content encrypted until it is opened from a link. Slapsnack is a fun app that lets you send fast disappearing messages and media files. I also use Slack’s uninstaller from time to time to remove channels. Let us know which Slack apps you use in the comments below. Happy idleness.