What is a direct message or platform inbox?¶

A direct message is account-based communication held within a platform's private messaging system. Its folders, identifiers and delivery rules may differ substantially from SMS or a standalone messaging application.

The inbox belongs to a wider platform¶

Direct messaging can connect profiles, groups, business tools, marketplace activity, advertisements or customer-service systems. Conversations may involve one or several participants and may be active across multiple devices and delegated sessions.

Messages from unfamiliar accounts can enter request or filtered folders rather than the main inbox. Archived, spam and business-management views may expose records not visible in the default screen. Delivery, seen and active labels are platform-specific.

Preserve stable platform context¶

Retain account and participant IDs, usernames, profile URLs, conversation and message IDs, timestamps, folder location and status. Display names and profile images are mutable and can be copied, so they should not be the sole means of identity.

Record whether evidence came from the public profile, private inbox, a recipient endpoint, an account export or an organisational interface. Establish the sending account, device or session and its controller separately.