UK Co. introduces text messages that 'self destruct' after 40 seconds

This SMS will self-destruct in 40 seconds
StealthText
By John Leyden
Published Monday 12th December 2005 15:50 GMT
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A UK developer has come up with a "self-destruct" text messaging service it hopes will prove a hit with both businessmen dealing with sensitive information and celebrity love cheats. StealthText from Staellium UK is positioned as a means to give a sender control over text messages they send instead of relying on a recipient to delete it, something Rebecca Loos conspicuously failed to do with messages from David Beckham, resulting in much embarrassment for the metrosexual football icon last year.

StealthText deletes SMS messages 40 seconds after they are read, a technology Staellium compares to the destruction of instructions played by agents in the Mission Impossible TV series and movies. Users of the service need to have a WAP-enabled mobile phone though only those sending texts need to download a StealthText applet. Message bundles cost £5 for 10 secure messages and the service is only available to users of UK SIM cards. Users can sign-up by texting STEALTH to 80880.

Once a message has been sent, the recipient receives a text notification showing the sender’s name and providing a link to the message. Once opened, the message will disappear after around 40 seconds
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2005/12/12/stealthtext/