Phone bills typically provide a record of calls and data usage, including the date, time, and duration of calls made and received, as well as the amount of data consumed. This information is itemized for each billing cycle. However, the actual content of Short Message Service (SMS) communications, or text messages, is generally not included.
The omission of message content from billing statements is primarily due to privacy concerns. Intercepting and recording the substance of communications would necessitate legal authorization and raise substantial ethical issues. Maintaining the confidentiality of personal correspondence is a core tenet of telecommunications regulations. Historically, phone bills only detailed call specifics; this practice has extended to SMS records, maintaining a focus on usage data rather than content.