Privnote lets you send a self-destructing electronic message

WHAT’S GOOD: Have you ever needed to send someone a private message that you wanted no one else to see? Using email or a text leaves a copy of the message on the receiver’s computer or device, meaning it could be shared or seen by a third party. For those times when discretion is of the utmost importance, consider Privnote. Think of it as Snapchat for emailing or texting — something that is seen once and then will vanish forever. Go to this free, web-based, anonymous service (it requires no registration or password) and write your message. You then “create” it and receive a web address, which you send to the person you want to read the note. When the web address is accessed, the note appears and simultaneously self-destructs. Try to access it again and you’ll be told how long ago it was accessed and destroyed. You can set a password to encrypt the note as well as receive email notification of the time the message was picked up.

WHAT’S NOT: Although Privnote says it does not log IP addresses and that cookies are destroyed after a message is retrieved, they add that, “Depending on the communication channel of your choice (e.g., email, fax, SMS, phone, instant messaging), there may be a certain risk that third parties intercept your communication, get knowledge of the communicated URL and thus may be able to read your message.”

BOTTOM LINE: While it’s a cool idea, remember nothing is ever 100 percent safe on the internet.